PRESS RELEASE
Paris, June 22, 2023, 8:30 a.m CEST.
Eramet's economic contribution grew in the main regions in which it operates
- In 2022, Eramet significantly increased its contribution to the economy of the regions in which it operates, up to €3.3 billion compared with €1.8 billion in 2021.
- The figures for local purchases and payroll also rose, reaching over €2 billion and €0.6 billion respectively.
- More than 127,940 people have benefited from the Group's social programs in the countries where it operates, thanks to total expenditure of approximately €11 million.
Eramet publishes its annual report which details its payments to governments in countries where the Group is engaged in mining operations. This "Group Financial Transparency Report 2021 as at 31 December 2022" is available on the Group's website.
This report, which has been drawn up in accordance with EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) methods, relates mainly to taxes and royalties paid to States and regions, as well as the dividends paid to public shareholders of the parent company and its subsidiaries.
In keeping with its commitment to being a catalyst for economic development in the regions in which it operates, the Group also publishes specific data in terms of community investment, payroll, purchasing and subcontracting at its main sites (Argentina, Cameroon, the United States, France, Gabon, Indonesia, Norway, New Caledonia, Senegal). Detailed information on these contributions is available on the Group's website.
The Group's economic contribution across all the regions in which it operates has risen substantially, reaching €3.3 billion in 2022 (compared to €1.8 billion in 2021).
Local purchases and payroll have also increased, totaling respectively €2.3 billion (compared to €1.1 billion in 2021) and €598 million (versus €456 million in 2021).
Taxes and dividends paid in the various regions where the Group operates amounted to €480 million in 2022.
Community investment and sponsorship for local communities totaled almost €11 million in 2022 and benefited more than 127,940 individuals, particularly young people and women, the two priority groups targeted by the Group's societal efforts. This amount includes community spending at sites where Eramet is the majority shareholder and a donation to the International Red Cross to support humanitarian aid in Ukraine and community spending by PT Weda Bay. It does not include expenditures related to initiatives aimed at mitigating the environmental and social impacts of our operations.
In Gabon, the group's subsidiary, Comilog, produces, processes, and refines manganese ore. The Group’s expenditure on local communities in the country now totals more than €5 million. In 2022 Comilog continued its efforts to support local populations via the CSR Fund which is managed jointly with the Gabonese State, particularly in terms of infrastructure (electric lighting and drinking water) and access to medical care (with more than 43,000 medical visits in and around Moanda). The Société d'exploitation du Transgabonais (Setrag), the operator of the railway line linking Franceville to the east of Gabon and Owendo on the country's west coast, pursued its campaign to improve railway safety awareness among 3,484 schoolchildren. On the health front, more than 1,000 patients benefited from a campaign offering free ophthalmology visits, as well as 500 pairs of corrective eyeglasses and 800 prescription drugs. The campaign was conducted at major Transgabonais railway stations. The Group is also continuing to support economic diversification in Gabon. In 2022, in partnership with Women in Africa and thanks to the support of the Gabonese state, Eramet created the "Femmes d'Avenir” (Women of the Future) hub in Libreville, which is a center designed to foster female entrepreneurship. As part of this program, 130 women entrepreneurs in Gabon benefit from dedicated support for three years, including training, mentoring, networking and access to finance. In 2022, thanks to the CSR Fund, a seed fund was created. With the support of three microfinance institutions, the seed fund aims to promote economic diversification in the Moanda region by supporting local small and microbusinesses. This fund is in addition to the FabLab launched in 2022enabled an initial class of 22 young people in Moanda to benefit from nearly 256 hours of training courses focused on the digital sector.
In Gabon, the Group paid more than €132 million in taxes, dividends and taxes and has spent more than €407 million on local purchases and subcontracting. Payroll amounted to €128 million in 2022, including 8,767 direct jobs.1
In total, Eramet's economic contribution to the Gabonese economy amounted to €673 million.
In Senegal, where the Group produces mineral sands (mainly ilmenite and zircon) via its subsidiary Grande Côte Opérations (GCO), community investment amounted to €412,000. In order to improve local people’s access to water, 7 additional districts in the city of Meckhé are now connected to a supply of drinking water and 1,800 people now have access to clean drinking water thanks to the drilling of a well in Darou Beye. In terms of health care, more than 13,000 visits took place at GCO-backed health centers. At the same time, GCO is actively involved in supporting economic and social development in Senegal, in particular through the creation of a number of local Economic Interest Groups (EIGs), as well as through a program of school renovations. 1,200 women are currently working in the four EIGs created in 2022.
GCO also paid €17 million in taxes and dividends taxes and spent €55 million on local purchases and subcontracting. The company’s payroll amounted to €33 million in 2022. The number of direct jobs stood at 1,881.
Overall, Eramet's economic contribution to the Senegalese economy amounted to €106 million.
Located in New Caledonia, La Société Le Nickel (SLN) is the world’s number one producer of ferronickel for the stainless-steel market. Community investment amounted to almost €2 million, which was used to support sports activities for over 300 young people in the town of Kouaoua, to supply drinking water to over 100 residents in three towns in the Thio region, and to provide training for 72 unemployed young people in need of training.
SLN paid €20 million in taxes and dividends and spent €392 million on local purchases and subcontracting. The company’s payroll amounted to €153 million 2022. The number of direct jobs totaled 3,392.
Overall, Eramet's economic contribution to the economy in New Caledonia amounted to €568 million.
In Argentina, thanks to its operations at the Centenario Ratones site, Eramet is establishing itself as a leading producer of lithium, which is essential to the country's energy transition. Community investment is an essential component of this project, which was relaunched in 2021. In 2022, €137,000 were spent on projects to support the local population in a region where the Group's operations are set to expand over the coming years. Aimed at supporting employment among young people, these initiatives have provided 215 young people in the Salta region with professional training, and 30 micro-entrepreneurs in the Puna region with training and help in developing their business networks. In addition, 70 inhabitants of Indigenous communities in the Puna have been provided with solar water heaters to improve their living conditions in these high-altitude areas.
In 2022, Eramine, the Group's subsidiary in Argentina, paid €29.5 million in taxes and dividends. Spending on local purchases and subcontracting reached €175m and payroll amounted to €6 million. In total, the construction of the plant involves 331 direct jobs.
Overall, Eramet's economic contribution to the Argentinian economy amounted to almost €210 million.
In Norway, the Group’s subsidiary Eramet Norway (ENO) produces manganese alloys for the steel market, while Eramet Titanium and Iron (ETI) converts the mineral sands produced in Senegal into titanium dioxide slag and high-purity pig iron, mainly for the pigments and titanium metal industries. The two companies allocated a total of €177,000 to community investment. For example, ENO supports the association "Growth in Sauda" which supports the development of local businesses and several local youth sports associations. ETI also provides backing for local sports associations and cultural events.
In 2022, ENO and ETI paid a total of €17 million in taxes and dividends. Local purchases amounted to €354 million, while the payroll for the 982 direct jobs involved accounted for €77 million.
Overall, Eramet's economic contribution to the Norwegian economy amounted to almost €448 million.
In the United States, Eramet Marietta is one of the leading American producers of manganese alloys and provided €28,000 in support for students from local universities, cultural events and local sports initiatives and continued its commitment to the Memorial Health Foundation in Marietta.
The subsidiary paid €41 million in taxes and dividends and spent €101m on purchases and subcontracting. The company’s payroll amounted to €16 million. The plant provides 221 direct jobs.
Overall, Eramet's economic contribution to the United States economy amounted to approximately €158 million.
In Cameroon, as part of its exploration efforts on the Akonolinga rutile block, Eramet's contribution to local communities in 2022 included the posting of road signs at the entrances to 22 villages near the exploration site, donations of books and school supplies to some 640 pupils, and support for the Akonolinga hospital. These initiatives involved an investment of €80,000.
The Group paid €188,000 in taxes and dividends and spent €6.3 million on local purchases and subcontracting; meanwhile payroll amounted to €527,000 with 74 direct on-site jobs.
Overall, Eramet's economic contribution to the economy in Cameroon amounted to €7 million.
Finally, in Indonesia, in 2022, PT Weda Bay Nickel spent approximately €3 million on community investment. These funds were used to support the development of local educational facilities for schoolchildren and students in Halmahera, as well as health care facilities at the UPTD Puskesmas Kobe health center. Overall, these investments have benefited some 11,000 people.
PT Weda Bay Nickel paid €217 million in taxes and dividends, and spent €645 million on purchases and subcontracting. The company's payroll amounted to €22 million. Weda Bay's activities provide 10,103 direct jobs2.
Overall, Eramet's economic contribution to the Indonesian economy amounted to approximately €886 million.
Virginie de Chassey, Director of Sustainable Development and Corporate Commitment, member of Eramet's Executive Committee, said “Our corporate purpose— ‘To become a reference for the responsible transformation of the Earth's mineral resources, for living well together’ — is reflected in the tangible impact of our investments in the countries where we operate. The increased scale of our economic contributions in 2022 is a reflection of both the Group's business momentum and our commitment to developing a sustainable, diversified economy that benefits the people who live in the communities surrounding our sites.”
Calendar
26.07.2023: Publication of 2023 half-year results
26.10.2023: Publication of 2023 Group third-quarter turnover
ABOUT ERAMET
Eramet transforms the Earth’s mineral resources to provide sustainable and responsible solutions to the growth of the industry and to the challenges of the energy transition.
Its employees are committed to this through their civic and contributory approach in all the countries where the mining and metallurgical group is present.
Manganese, nickel, mineral sands, lithium, and cobalt: Eramet recovers and develops metals that are essential to the construction of a more sustainable world.
As a privileged partner of its industrial clients, the Group contributes to making robust and resistant infrastructures and constructions, more efficient means of mobility, safer health tools and more efficient telecommunications devices.
Fully committed to the era of metals, Eramet’s ambition is to become a reference for the responsible transformation of the Earth’s mineral resources for living well together.
www.eramet.com
| INVESTORS RELATIONS Director of Investor Relations Sandrine Nourry-Dabi Tel. +33 1 45 38 37 02 sandrine.nourrydabi@eramet.com | MEDIA CONTACT Media Relations Fanny Mounier fanny.mounier@eramet.com Tel. + 33 7 65 26 46 83 Image 7 Marie Artzner Tel. +33 1 53 70 74 31 | Mob. +33 6 75 74 31 73 martzner@image7.fr |
1 Direct jobs comprise subsidiary staff and permanent subcontractors employed on-site.
2 Mining operations are carried out by several local subcontractors under the management of PT Weda Bay.
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