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MOSCOW, August 30The coup in Gabon could seriously affect steel production and sales in the world and Russia, while Russia can partially compensate for the supply of raw materials necessary for steel production by buying them in South Africa and Kazakhstan, said Leonid Khazanov, an independent expert in the field of industry and energy.
On Wednesday morning, the Gabon military announced the cancellation of the election results and the dissolution of government institutions. According to their statement, the current president of the country, Ali Bongo Ondimba, is under house arrest. Earlier it was reported that according to the results of the elections held on August 26, Ali Bongo was re-elected as head of state, gaining 64.2% of the vote.
“The revolution in Gabon can have a serious impact on the smelting and sales of steel in the world and Russia. The fact is that despite a rather modest mineral resource base, Gabon is one of the world's largest suppliers of manganese ores and concentrates used to smelt manganese ferroalloys, which, in turn, are needed for alloying steel,» the expert said.
According to him, the annual production of manganese raw materials in Gabon ranges from 4.6-5.3 million tons, and deliveries are made to Europe, the USA, India, China, and Japan. Among the recipients is Russia, which almost completely satisfies its needs in manganese ores and concentrates through imports: out of more than 1 million tons imported to Russia, 25-35% falls on the share of Gabon.
“Accordingly, the cessation of shipments of manganese raw materials from Gabon threatens to disrupt the operation of ferroalloys and further along the chain of steelmaking enterprises. However, Russian ferroalloy plants can at least partially replace ores and concentrates from Gabon with supplies from South Africa and Kazakhstan,” summed up agency interlocutor.