A technical and human challenge
Since 2014, Eramet Grande Côte has been extracting and processing mineral sands on a concession that stretches over a hundred kilometers along the Atlantic coast north of Dakar. The project is part of the Grande Côte Regional Development Project led by the Senegalese government, which holds a 10% stake in the company alongside the French mining and metallurgical group Eramet.
Operations take place in two areas:
- The mining deposit is located in the Thiès and Louga regions, on the dune strip of the Senegalese Grande Côte between the seashore and the Niayes market gardening area, which is excluded from any mining activity. After extraction, an initial concentration step is carried out on-site.
- The sands are then processed in a separation plant located in Diogo before being transported by rail to the port of Dakar.
An investment of over $800 million, combined with cutting-edge technologies, has enabled Eramet to turn a low-grade deposit into an ambitious and sustainable industrial project, contributing to local economic development.
A global player
Eramet Grande Côte has, within just a few years, become a major player in the mineral sands industry. Today, the company is the 4th largest global producer of zircon and the 5th largest global producer of titanium raw materials (ilmenite, rutile, and leucoxene), with reserves estimated to last over 20 years.
Eramet Grande Côte’s operations generate 2,400 jobs, 98% of which are held by Senegalese workers. Trained by top experts, the local teams have progressively taken over in each of the operational units: mine, concentration plant, separation plant, transport, as well as impact management.
A pioneering model in terms of sustainability
Eramet Grande Côte, in partnership with the Senegalese state, is implementing a social program for the benefit of neighboring populations. Education, health, agriculture, economic development: in consultation with mayors, residents, and civil society, the company invests in the development of communities.
The first Senegalese mine to return rehabilitated and revegetated land to the state in 2022, and also the first to be certified ISO 14 001 and ISO 50 001, Eramet Grande Côte demonstrates transparency with its stakeholders by voluntarily undergoing audits according to the IRMA responsible mining standard. This standard is integrated into the Eramet group’s CSR roadmap, “Act for Positive Mining.” The company will complete its external audit in 2025, prior to the publication of a report.
Mobile and supervised mining operations
Two of the mining facilities – the dredge and the mineral sands concentration plant – have the unique characteristic of being mobile: they advance in a coordinated manner by approximately seven to thirteen kilometers per year. They are sometimes required to cross inhabited areas. The affected populations are then relocated within the framework of the Departmental Resettlement Commissions, which bring together public authorities and impacted individuals to determine a fair level of compensation. These sensitive projects are subject to strict supervision and monitoring, in constant collaboration with the affected individuals.
