18.11.2020
RUSAL has built a bridge across the Samou river in Guinea
Moscow, November 18, 2020 - RUSAL (SEHK: 486; Moscow Exchange: RUAL), a leading global aluminium producer, announces that it has constructed a new road bridge across the Samou river in the Kindia Prefecture, Guinea. The bridge is now open for use for vehicles.
The road bridge across the Samou river, which is more than 65 meters long, has been built by Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK, a subsidiary of RUSAL) to ensure transport accessibility to the Férifou deposit (Débélé mine), which will be developed to supply RUSAL with required quality raw materials in the coming years. The construction of this bridge has been completed in record time, two months ahead of schedule, despite all the difficulties in Guinea on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The design solutions and materials used to build the bridge ensure a lifespan of at least 35 years. Due to advanced engineering solutions, the bridge can remain open all year round, which is especially valuable in Guinea, where the rainy season can last up to five months. To evacuate water in the rainy season, 13 artificial culverts were embedded in the bridge structure. To increase the strength, the metal parts from auxiliary structures used when constructing a berth in the port of Taressa (Dian-Dian project) were used in the bridge frame.
When designing and constructing the bridge, in addition to technical aspects, close attention was also paid to its environmental impact. During the construction process, the chemical and biological composition of the water in the Samou river was systematically monitored. Regular sampling and analysis was carried out during the construction process by accredited employees of the certified laboratory ONCQ (National Quality Control Office), confirming that the high quality of water in the Samou river and its composition have seen no impact on the back of the bridge’s construction and CBK's mines operations.
The project has also taken into consideration the interests of local people, for whom this opens new logistics opportunities. The new bridge built by RUSAL will connect remote parts of the Prefecture with the regional centre in Kindia, which will create additional prospects for economic development of the region and Guinea as a whole.
Commenting on the new bridge opening, Yakov Itskov, Head of the Alumina Business at RUSAL, said: “Thanks to this new transport infrastructure facility, CBK has received the necessary transport access to develop new sites of its deposit in Kindia, alongside additional logistics opportunities which have been created for the Guinean state and local authorities to transport people and cargoes deep into the country. I am sure that the mutually beneficial nature of our cooperation with the Republic of Guinea will help to strengthen the country’s economic stance and strengthen the competitiveness of RUSAL as a leader of the global aluminium industry and one of the largest foreign investors in the Guinean economy.”
RUSAL has been operating in the Republic of Guinea since 2001, and is one of the largest foreign investors in the country. In Guinea, RUSAL owns and operates the Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK), as well as the Friguia alumina refinery. In addition, RUSAL is currently implementing a large-scale project to develop the world's largest bauxite deposit at Dian-Dian in the Boké region of Guinea. The total confirmed reserves at the Dian-Dian deposit amount to 564 mln tonnes.
The road bridge across the Samou river, which is more than 65 meters long, has been built by Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK, a subsidiary of RUSAL) to ensure transport accessibility to the Férifou deposit (Débélé mine), which will be developed to supply RUSAL with required quality raw materials in the coming years. The construction of this bridge has been completed in record time, two months ahead of schedule, despite all the difficulties in Guinea on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The design solutions and materials used to build the bridge ensure a lifespan of at least 35 years. Due to advanced engineering solutions, the bridge can remain open all year round, which is especially valuable in Guinea, where the rainy season can last up to five months. To evacuate water in the rainy season, 13 artificial culverts were embedded in the bridge structure. To increase the strength, the metal parts from auxiliary structures used when constructing a berth in the port of Taressa (Dian-Dian project) were used in the bridge frame.
When designing and constructing the bridge, in addition to technical aspects, close attention was also paid to its environmental impact. During the construction process, the chemical and biological composition of the water in the Samou river was systematically monitored. Regular sampling and analysis was carried out during the construction process by accredited employees of the certified laboratory ONCQ (National Quality Control Office), confirming that the high quality of water in the Samou river and its composition have seen no impact on the back of the bridge’s construction and CBK's mines operations.
The project has also taken into consideration the interests of local people, for whom this opens new logistics opportunities. The new bridge built by RUSAL will connect remote parts of the Prefecture with the regional centre in Kindia, which will create additional prospects for economic development of the region and Guinea as a whole.
Commenting on the new bridge opening, Yakov Itskov, Head of the Alumina Business at RUSAL, said: “Thanks to this new transport infrastructure facility, CBK has received the necessary transport access to develop new sites of its deposit in Kindia, alongside additional logistics opportunities which have been created for the Guinean state and local authorities to transport people and cargoes deep into the country. I am sure that the mutually beneficial nature of our cooperation with the Republic of Guinea will help to strengthen the country’s economic stance and strengthen the competitiveness of RUSAL as a leader of the global aluminium industry and one of the largest foreign investors in the Guinean economy.”
RUSAL has been operating in the Republic of Guinea since 2001, and is one of the largest foreign investors in the country. In Guinea, RUSAL owns and operates the Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK), as well as the Friguia alumina refinery. In addition, RUSAL is currently implementing a large-scale project to develop the world's largest bauxite deposit at Dian-Dian in the Boké region of Guinea. The total confirmed reserves at the Dian-Dian deposit amount to 564 mln tonnes.
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