| 1914 |
Demerara
Bauxite Company, Limited (DEMBA), owned by Aluminum
Company of America (Alcoa), secured leases around the
Mackenzie area where bauxite deposits were identified. |
| 1917 |
DEMBA
commenced mining of bauxite at Three Friends mine and
later at Akyma mine (now known as Maria Elizabeth) south
of Mackenzie. |
| 1929 |
The
Aluminum Company of Canada (Alcan) took over control
of DEMBA. |
| 1930
- 40 |
A
drilling programme was undertaken by DEMBA in the Ituni
area south of Mackenzie. |
| 1937
- 44 |
A
small number of bauxite deposits were located by DEMBA
near the Essequibo River. |
| 1938 |
The
first shipment of refractory A-grade super calcined
bauxite (RASC) by DEMBA.
The Berbice Company Limited began exploration in the
Kwakwani area. |
| 1942 |
The
Berbice Bauxite Company, a subsidiary of American Cyanamid,
commenced production of chemical grade bauxite (CGB)
at Kwakwani. |
| 1943 |
DEMBA
expanded its mining operations to Ituni, south of Mackenzie. |
| 1952 |
The
Berbice Bauxite Company was acquired by Reynolds Metals
Company and began production of metallurgical grade
bauxite (MAZ) at Kwakwani. |
| 1955
- 56 |
Drilling
was carried out by Harvey Aluminum Incorporated in the
Groete Creek and Blue Mountains areas west of the Essequibo
River. |
| 1956 |
DEMBA
commenced construction of an alumina refinery plant
at Mackenzie. |
| 1957 |
Barima
Minerals Limited drilled selected targets in the Pomeroon
area. |
| 1970 |
The
town of Linden, which incorporates the mining town Mackenzie
and two former village districts, Wismar and Christianburg,
was established. |
| 1971 |
DEMBA
was nationalized and renamed Guyana Bauxite Company
(GUYBAU). |
| 1975 |
The
Berbice Bauxite Company was nationalized and renamed
Berbice Mining Enterprise (BERMINE). |
| 1976 |
The
Berbice Industry Development Company (BIDCO) was established
as the holding company for GUYBAU and BERMINE. |
| 1980s |
During
the early part of the decade, the Guyana Bauxite Company
(GUYBAU) was succeeded by the Guyana Mining Enterprise
(GUYMINE). |
| 1982 |
The
alumina refinery plant at Linden ceased operations. |
| 1989 |
Aroaima
Mining Company a subsidary of Aroaima Bauxite Company
which was formed as a joint venture between the Government
of Guyana and Reynolds International began operations. |
| 1992 |
The
debt-ridden Guyana Mining Enterprise (GUYMINE) was dissolved
and divided into the Linden Mining Enterprise Limited
(LINMINE) and the Berbice Mining Enterprise Limited
(BERMINE). |
| 1992
- 94 |
The
management of LINMINE overseen by Minproc Engineers
Limited of Australia as part of the restructuring arrangement
with the World Bank. |
| 1998 |
The
Government of Guyana announced privitization plans for
the state-owned bauxite companies, Berbice Mining Enterprise
Limited (BERMIBE) and Linden Mining Enterprise Limited
(LINMINE). The companies will each be restructured into
new private companies that will be capitalized, majority-owned
(sixty percent under the Government's preferred structure),
and operated by a private investor. |
| 1999 |
Aroaima
Mining Company (AMC) and Green Construction and Mining
Company (GCMC) merged, and the stripping of overburden
at Aroaima is now being done by AMC.
On
August 5, the Government of Guyana hosted a privatization
seminar for the five companies shortlisted to bid
for 60 per cent controlling interests the Linden Mining
Enterprise (LINMINE) and Berbice Mining Enterprise
(BERMINE), in Georgetown.
Alcoa
World Alumina, Billiton, and the consortium of Texas-Ohio
Incorporated, Harbisson Walker, Possehl and Morrison
Knudsen have bid for control of both BERMINE and LINMINE.
Aroaima
Mining Company bid for BERMINE, and a consortium of
Guyanese and overseas investors, RASC 2000, for LINMINE
alone.
Alcoa
was involved in a takeover of Reynolds. It is not
clear how the takeover will affect Aroaima Mining
Company's bid for BERMINE or their mining operations
at Aroaima. |
| 2000 |
During
April 2000, Head of the Privatisation Unit, Winston
Brassington, reported that the bid put forward by Aroaima
Bauxite Company for the Berbice Mining Enterprise is
not acceptable based on the government's bid evaluation
criteria, and the privatization process for the local
industry will have to go back to the bidding table.
He also stated that there was one proposal for Linmine
and Bermine which was rejected. |
The
first published report of bauxite, by Sir John Harrison,
appeared in the Official Gazatte of June 16, 1910. Deposits
of bauxite occur in an arcuate belt along the southern margin
of the Coastal Plain of Guyana. The bauxite was formed from
the underlying Precambrian bedrock during a mid-Tertiary
weathering episode.