The Aluminum Industry in West and Central Africa : Lessons Learned and Prospects for the Future

The purpose of this working paper is to evaluate the future of the aluminum industry in West and Central Africa, with a focus on aluminum smelting and its relationship with power generation and availability in the regions. The organization of this study is as follows. It continues with an overview of the global aluminum industry, including a description of the production process, current and projected supply and demand, and the most important cost considerations for companies investing in the industry. Chapter two provides a brief history and future prospects for the aluminum sector in West and Central Africa. Chapter three contains an analysis of the viability of the two most important existing smelters in the regions, Valco in Ghana and Alucam in Cameroon, as well as a briefer analysis of Alscon in Nigeria and the potential for other smelters in the regions. In chapter four, the recent experience of the three large aluminum smelters in southeast Africa is reviewed and lessons are extracted for West and Central Africa. Conclusions and recommendations are in chapter five.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Husband, Charles, McMahon, Gary, Veen, Peter van der
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2009-12
Subjects:	ABUNDANT HYDRO POWER, AGRICULTURE, ALUMINA CONTENT, ALUMINIUM SMELTER, ALUMINUM, ALUMINUM INDUSTRY, AVAILABILITY, AVERAGE TARIFF, BANKRUPTCY, BAUXITE, BIDDING PROCESS, BOTTOM QUARTILE, BULK SUPPLY CONTRACTS, CABLE, CAPACITY EXPANSION, CAPITAL COSTS, CD, CENTRAL BANK, COAL, COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE, COMPETITIVENESS, CONCESSIONS, CONSTRUCTION, CONSTRUCTION COST, CONSUMERS, COST OF CAPITAL, COST OF POWER, COST RECOVERY, DECISION MAKING, DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY, DEMAND FOR POWER, ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, ECONOMIC COSTS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC INCENTIVE, ECONOMIC MODEL, ECONOMIES OF SCALE, EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT, ELECTRIC ENERGY, ELECTRIC POWER, ELECTRIC UTILITIES, ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION, ELECTRICITY, ELECTRICITY PRICES, ELECTRICITY TARIFF, ELECTRICITY TARIFFS, EMISSIONS, EMPLOYMENT, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, ENERGY COSTS, ENERGY MARKETS, ENERGY PRICES, ENERGY RESOURCES, ENERGY SHORTAGES, ENERGY SOURCES, ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS, ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT, EXCESS DEMAND, EXCESS POWER, EXCESS SUPPLY, EXPORTS, EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES, FEASIBILITY STUDIES, FINANCIAL CRISIS, FINANCIAL VIABILITY, FISCAL DEFICIT, FIXED COSTS, FUEL, GAS, GDP, GENERATION CAPACITY, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, GOLD, GRADE, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, GROWTH RATE, HYDRO POWER, HYDRO-POWER, HYDROELECTRIC PLANT, HYDROELECTRIC POTENTIAL, HYDROELECTRIC POWER, HYDROPOWER, HYDROPOWER GENERATION, HYDROPOWER PLANT, INCOME, INCOME TAXES, INCREASE IN CAPACITY, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, INVESTMENTS IN ENERGY, KILOWATT HOUR, LNG, LOCAL AUTHORITIES, MAINTENANCE COSTS, MARGINAL COST, MARGINAL COST PRICING, MARGINAL COSTS, MARGINAL COSTS OF SUPPLY, METALS, METALS INDUSTRIES, MINERALS, MINES, MINING OPERATIONS, MINING POLICY, MINING RIGHTS, MULTIPLIER EFFECT, MULTIPLIER EFFECTS, NATURAL GAS, NATURAL RESOURCES, NONFERROUS METAL INDUSTRIES, OIL, OIL INDUSTRY, OIL PRODUCTION, OPPORTUNITY COST, OUTSOURCING, PIPELINE, POLITICAL ECONOMY, POWER, POWER CAPACITY, POWER COMPANIES, POWER COMPANY, POWER CONSUMPTION, POWER CONTRACT, POWER CONTRACTS, POWER COSTS, POWER DEMAND, POWER GENERATION, POWER GENERATION CAPACITY, POWER LINES, POWER PLANT, POWER PRICES, POWER PRICING, POWER PRODUCER, POWER PROJECT, POWER RATES, POWER REQUIREMENT, POWER SECTOR, POWER SHORTAGES, POWER STATION, POWER SYSTEM, PRICE CONTROLS, PRICE FLUCTUATIONS, PRICE INCREASES, PRODUCTION COSTS, PUBLIC SECTOR, RAIL TRANSPORT, RAW MATERIAL, RECYCLING, REFINING, REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE, RESOURCE RENTS, RISK PREMIUMS, SHARING, SILICA, SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, SMALL SCALE, SMELTER, TAX REVENUES, TAX SUBSIDIES, THERMAL PLANT, THERMAL PLANTS, THERMAL POWER, TOTAL COSTS, TRANSMISSION LINES, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORTATION, UNDERESTIMATES, UTILITIES, VOLTAGE, WAGES,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/12/12330588/aluminum-industry-west-central-africa-lessons-learned-prospects-future https://hdl.handle.net/10986/18282
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