Metro Mining is enjoying a strong sales pipeline from its Bauxite Hills mine, as it signs a new contract with a Chinese refinery operator.

The new agreement with a major State-owned Chinese aluminum group covers tonnage of 420,000 WMT (wet metric tonnes), all for delivery in 2019.

It means the Metro has sold about 90 per cent of its planned 2019 production of 3.3-3.5 million WMT from the Cape York bauxite mine.

Metro said the bauxite sold under its latest contract would be delivered to the Shanxi Province Refinery, which is currently operating at below capacity due to reduced bauxite availability in the area.

The refinery is planning to modify its refining conditions to match the processing requirements of the material from Metro’s Bauxite Hills mine – opening the way for Metro to build on this initial contract.

” This agreement highlights the particular interest being seen from refineries located in the inland provinces where supply of domestic bauxite has been hindered by recent mine closures and environmental audits,” 
Metro managing director Simon Finnis said.

The company this year expanded its Bauxite Hills operation and recently commissioned new triple-set trailers and 7000-tonne transhipment barges to handle increased output.