Mining Intelligence and News
Senegal

Grande Cote (GCO) Operation

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Categories

Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Zircon
  • Rutile
Mining Method
  • Dredging
  • Dry mining
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotGrande Côte mineral sands operation (GCO) is the world’s largest mining dredge operation.

The world's largest dragline is used. The dragline operates in an artificial pond, moving 7–13 km per year. The sand is transported to the world's largest floating Wet Concentrator Plant (WCP), where minerals are separated using physical methods without the use of chemicals. The resulting Heavy Mineral Concentrate (HMC) is then processed at a Mineral Separation Plant (MSP).

In September 2023, Eramet sold one of the two sites of its Mineral Sands business, the Norwegian plant of Eramet Titanium & Iron (ETI), to INEOS. A 10-year contract for the supply of ilmenite was signed by Eramet at the time of this sale. The Mineral Sands activity is therefore now concentrated exclusively on the site of Grande Côte Opérations (GCO), which operates a mineral sands deposit and produces mainly ilmenite and zircon.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Government of Senegal 10 % Indirect
Eramet Group 90 % Indirect
Grande Côte Operations SA (operator) 100 % Direct
Grande Côte Operations is 90% owned by Eramet through its wholly owned subsidiary, Grande Côte Operations SA, with the remaining 10% held by the Government of Senegal.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Mineral sands

Summary:

The extensive Senegal-Mauritanian Basin covers most of Senegal and is composed of Mid-Jurassic to Recent, poorly cemented marine sands, marls, limestones and shales overlain by continental lacustrine and marine sediments.

The GCO project is within the belt of coastal dunes that lie along the current shoreline. The dunes, recent in age, are mobile or semi-fixed, pale yellow in colour and overlie older Late Quaternary white marine sands. The dunes range between 5m and 35m in height and the mineralised zones, which are essentially flat-lying, average around 15m in thickness.

The GCO deposit comprises a linear series of Aeolian sand dunes containing an HM assemblage concentrated by wind action. The Aeolian or mobile dunes overlie a substratum of former beach sands representing a recessive littoral environment. These sands also contain a lesser HM concentration. The natural water table generally occurs close to the interface between the mobile dune and littoral sand together with occasional peaty materials preferentially located at the dune-littoral sand interface.

The deposits include: Mboro, Lompoul, Diogo, Fass Boye, Yodi, Mboro Hotel and Noto. The deposits extend over a length of about 70km. There is potential for additional deposits beyond the limits of present drilling, both to the south–west and north–east for a total strike length drilled of 75km.

Dimensions
The resource extends for 75km north–east and averages 2km wide. The average depth of mineralisation is 15m.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Commodity Production

Zircon production data has been presented for premium and standard zircon. Additionally, a lower-grade intermediate zircon is also produced at the Grand Cote operation.
CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018
Zircon kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5864
Ilmenite kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe492507
HiTi (rutile-leucoxene) kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe109.6
All production numbers are expressed as mineral.

Operational metrics

Metrics2024202320222021202020192018
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe49.4 Mt47 Mt
Hourly mining capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe7,000 t7,000 t
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe575 kt of ilmenite mineral
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe85 kt of zircon mineral
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4 kt of rutile mineral
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe8 kt of leucoxene mineral

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 5, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 6, 2025
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....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 6, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 5, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 6, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 6, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 6, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 6, 2025

Workforce

EmployeesTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2024
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
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Aerial view:

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