Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG) is the largest bauxite exporter in the world, with exclusive rights to develop all bauxite reserves in Guinea, West Africa - equating to approximately 300 million tons or a third of the world's total reserves. Ownership of the company is split between the government of Guinea (49%) and Halco Mining (51%) and it operates a number of open-pit mines across Guinea, including the newly developed port at Kamsar, on the west coast.
The town of Kamsar was originally established by CBG in 1973 for local employees and their dependents. It currently has a population of about 10,000, the majority of whom work for CBG, either at its Sangerédi mine or at the port itself.
CBG is committed to improving the overall well being of the local community and as such has taken responsibility for the town's education, medical care, houses, roads and even clean water. In 2006 the company introduced mains power.
Kamsar is a remote location with no easy access routes. Providing mains power required a generation solution that could be housed on-site, with little maintenance and environmental impact, yet provide enough power to support the growing population of the town.
In November 2006, CBG commissioned five C825 D5 generator sets with QSK23 engines, switchgear and paralleling system from Cummins Power Generation's Belgian distributor, BIA Overseas. The specification was to provide 3MW of power to the town, with the generator sets running 24/7.
The generator sets feature a rugged 4-cycle industrial QSK23 diesel engine delivering reliable power at low emissions, ideally suited for the remote location and local environmental considerations. With the engines housed onsite in a 20m x 12m utility building designed and built by BIA Overseas and ESB, the generator sets needed to be reliable, quiet and clean.
Cedric Martin, BIA Overseas, says: “We have been working with CBG now for a number of years and are one of their biggest suppliers of mining equipment. When we learned that they were researching generator sets to guarantee Kamsar's electricity supply, we were pleased to recommend the Cummins Power Generation generator sets. CBG was happy to accept our offer and ordered from us a complete electrical power plant for the inhabitants of Kamsar, where part of CBG's Guinean workforce lives.”
CBG was a new customer for BIA Overseas, but the distributor fought off competition, including local rival Caterpillar, thanks to the quality of its products and service, and its understanding of the West African market. Thanks to the successful completion of this project, CBG has commissioned further Cummins Power Generation systems for its mining operations in the area.
Gilles Garaud, business development manager for Africa, says: “We are delighted to have played a pivotal role in the success of this project and are particularly pleased to have won a competitive pitch and been selected as the supplier of choice as a result of the outstanding quality of our product offering and associated support services, combined with our in-depth understanding of the local market and the challenges faced.”
“We believe the real proof of our success is validated by either word of mouth recommendation of our services or the opportunity to undertake repeat business for a client. We are therefore thrilled that this assignment has resulted in the commissioning of further Cummins Power Generation systems in the area,” he added.
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