2010 bauxite orders rebounding

Guinea’s CBG, the world’s top bauxite exporter company, said on Saturday orders for 2010 have already exceeded last year’s output by more than 10 percent in a sign of improved global demand for the aluminium ore.

The company, a joint venture between Alcoa and Rio Tinto, has taken orders for 12.8 million tonnes of bauxite, up from estimated output of 11.3 million tonnes in 2009, an official said on condition of anonymity.

CBG output hit 13.7 million tonnes in 2008, but dropped sharply in 2009 due to the effects of the global financial crisis and local political turmoil after a December 2008 coup.