Gabon, Eramet and Sinohydro Sign Power Study Pact for Manganese Plant

Gabon, mining company Eramet Comilog and Chinese engineering group Sinohydro signed a letter of intent in Beijing on 5 November 2026 to study how a proposed manganese-alloy plant could be supplied with electricity, according to a dated statement published by Comilog. The document advances planning for a possible industrial project, **not a commitment to build a plant or a hydroelectric dam**.

The two-page company statement identifies Sinohydro as a subsidiary of PowerChina and says the partners will examine one or more possible hydroelectric developments to supply the proposed processing facility in the Libreville region. The study could also consider increasing Gabon's national electricity-generation capacity. The statement gives **no project cost, financing allocation, procurement award, construction start date or final investment decision**.

That distinction matters because an announcement of a study is not evidence that public money has been spent, that a contractor has won a construction tender or that power infrastructure is under construction. None of those outcomes can be established from the letter-of-intent announcement.

What the partners agreed to examine

Comilog's 5 November release says the work will assess technical options that Sinohydro might develop for hydroelectric projects, the power requirements identified by Eramet Comilog and the commercial and financial terms of any future cooperation. The release does not specify how risks or costs would be shared among the government, the miner and the engineering group.

Gabonese publication GabonReview separately reported the signing on 5 November, describing the letter as a preparatory step rather than a final investment decision. Its report also highlighted that access to competitively priced, dependable electricity remains a condition for expanded local manganese processing.

The agreement follows a memorandum signed on **20 July 2026** by Gabon, Eramet and Eramet Comilog to examine industrial scenarios for processing more manganese domestically. The November document addresses a potential electricity constraint within that earlier programme; it does not establish that any particular processing scenario has been selected or financed.

Why the electricity decision matters

Gabon is seeking to process more of its manganese before export rather than relying primarily on shipments of raw ore. In a 3 November interview with Gabonese newspaper L'Union, Mines Minister Sosthène Nguema Nguema reiterated a policy ambition to restrict exports of unprocessed manganese from 2029 and described local transformation as central to increasing value retained in the country. That statement is a government policy ambition, not proof that a particular factory will be operational by the deadline.

The minister also discussed planned mining reforms, while a separate TFNOS report documented why a proposed state production-sharing arrangement should not be described as enacted law. The proposed power-study pact is a different development from that mining-code debate.

Comilog's announcement says the partners hope a potential hydroelectric supply could support the proposed alloy plant and contribute to national generation capacity. It does **not** quantify the proposed plant's power demand, forecast electricity prices or identify an agreed dam site. Claims that a new dam, factory or investment has already been secured would therefore go beyond the disclosed record.

The documents still needed

The next accountability test is publication of the actual letter of intent, a feasibility scope, proposed generation sites, environmental and social assessments, the allocation of public and private financing and any procurement decisions. Those records would show whether an exploratory agreement develops into an economically viable, publicly accountable project.

For now, the verified event is the **5 November signing of a study-stage letter of intent**. The size, financing, environmental implications and eventual ownership of any power facilities remain open questions.