French Guiana borders the North Atlantic Ocean in northern South America between Brazil and Suriname. This overseas department of France covers an area of approximately 84,000 km2, and its total population is 300,000 as per 2023 estimates. A total of 97% of its area is covered by tropical forest. French Guiana's gross domestic product (GDP) is US$5.21 billion as per 2022 estimates.1-3
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The economic activity consists of traditional sectors like fishing, wood, construction, public works, gold mining, and a high-tech sector, the Guiana Space Centre.2 The region has vast gold, bauxite, timber, and cinnabar reserves. Since 1946, French Guiana has been a French overseas department controlled by French and European law. The country’s economy mainly depends on trade and subsidies from France and its mineral industry is also controlled by France.
Historical Context of French Guiana’s Mining Industry
In French Guiana, mining began with the discovery of gold in 1855. Gold mining in French Guiana spans four periods: the initial rush (1858–1880), peak production (1880–1914), decline during and after the world wars (1915–1970), and a second rush from 1980, marked by both artisanal and industrial activity, reflecting shifts in production and mine locations.4
The region experienced two gold rushes influenced by the gold price, the first during the gold standard period and the second during the Chinese supercycle. The first rush attracted diverse groups from Metropolitan France and the Caribbean. However, most mining companies failed due to a lack of infrastructure, the end of the gold standard, and harsh rainforest conditions.
After 1910, the frontier collapsed due to the state's inability to control the area and the remoteness of mine sites. The current commodity frontier combines an artisanal illegal infiltration of Brazilian garimpeiros moving north of the Amazonian front and an industrial front driven by French and international investments in the Northern Belt.4
Current Landscape of Mining in French Guiana
The country’s mineral commodities are gold, copper, sand, clays, cement, crushed stone, lead, zinc, lithium, tantalum, niobium, iron, bauxite, diamonds, and petroleum.5 Gold is the country’s major export commodity and is widely mined. The strip running across the north of the country between Cayenne in the east and the border with Suriname has exceptional potential in terms of new critical metals.5 The country’s mineral sector has shifted its focus to gold and petroleum exploration during recent years.
In French Guiana, secondary gold mining is usually oriented around surface (mining) techniques (“placer mining”), which have been documented in detail in technical reports produced by the French Geological Survey. Only a small group of mining projects are engaged in extracting primary deposits (types 2 and 3), although the country’s type 1 primary gold is still mostly untouched. Primary gold exploitation in French Guiana is most visibly carried out via open-cast means, which entails the excavation of a pit 20–25 m deep and the transfer of waste materials onto waste rock piles.6
Gold exploration work has been extensively carried out at the Paul Isnard gold deposit in French Guiana. The deposit is reported to have gold reserves of 54.11 metric tons (MT) and measured and indicated resources of 85.1 MT. The Camp Caiman gold development project is said to have 49.8 tons of measured and indicated gold reserves.
Despite substantial military intervention, illegal gold mining remains prevalent in French Guiana. It is estimated to produce approximately 10 times more gold than legal operations, with an annual output of around 10 MT, compared to 1 to 2 MT from legal mining activities.6
Fossil fuel exploration has been an element in French Guiana’s mineral industry for many years. However, France’s decision to phase out fossil fuel production and use will undoubtedly affect oil and natural gas exploration and production in this overseas territory.7
In 2017, France enacted Law 2017-1839, banning new oil and gas exploration in the country and its territories and requiring all hydrocarbon activities to end by 2040. Recently, France reaffirmed its stance by opposing oil exploration in French Guiana, aligning with its broader environmental commitments.8,9
Key Players in French Guiana’s Mining Sector
Ciments Guyanais S.A. is a major player in the cement sector in French Guiana. It operates a 200,000 MT clinker grinding plant at Degrad des Cannes, about 10 kilometers southeast of Cayenne.
Auplata S.A., and its wholly owned subsidiaries Société Minière Yaou Dorlin S.A.S., and Compagnie Minière Dorlin S.A.S. are the major companies operating in the gold mining sector, with operations at Dieu Merci Mine, near Saint-Elie, about 120 kilometers (km) west of Cayenne; Yaou underground mine, about 255 km southwest of Cayenne; and Dorlin placer mine in Maripasoula, 190 km southwest of Cayenne. Gold is also mined from numerous legal and illegal placer mines at different locations. Nine rock quarries and 10 sand pits are also in operation in the region.10
Innovative Mining Technologies
Orea Mining Corp has announced an optimized project design with a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the Montagne d'Or Gold Project. The Montagne d'Or joint venture has selected a new Best Available Techniques ("BAT")-based project design, resulting in an 80% reduction in estimated total equivalent carbon dioxide emissions and a 32% reduction in surface footprint.11
The new project design considers all safety and environmental requirements and adheres to the highest responsible mining standards. An alternative power generation solution drove the significant reduction in environmental impact.11
Power generation will depend on an on-site hybrid power plant capable of 80% solar-based energy, leading to an estimated total equivalent carbon dioxide emission reduction of 469,000 tons annually. The hybrid power plant will also reduce the project’s surface footprint, reducing the total equivalent carbon dioxide emissions by 41,600 tons annually.11
Two segments of the 120-km access road have been rerouted to bypass the town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, improving road safety and reducing environmental disturbance while shortening the mine route.11
French Guiana’s Mining Policy Framework
Because of the impacts it potentially generates and its strategic importance, the mining sector is highly regulated. This influences the functioning of a project, the amount of surface area required, and the techniques featured during each phase of operation.
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In French Guiana, mining permits are administered under two complementary frameworks: the Mining Code, which establishes the size and duration of the mining permit depending on the mining phase, and the Departmental Mining Plan, which states where mining can and cannot take place.6
Environmental and Social Impacts of Mining in French Guiana
Mining seriously impacts French Guiana as it contributes to food chain contamination with mercury, direct mercury pollution, destruction of ecological habitats and biodiversity, deforestation, atmospheric pollution, and dam failure-related flood, contamination, and turbidity.
Social impacts include health problems and epidemiological diseases, migration of legal and illegal miners from bordering countries, resource dispossession, and social disruption.6
Challenges and Opportunities
Illegal mining in French Guiana has become a serious issue. The country is estimated to have 400-500 illegal mining sites extracting nearly 10 tons of gold annually. As a result, France faces major losses in terms of fiscal incomes and non-renewable resources.
The geographical conditions and vastness of the country play an important role in the illegal mining activity. In an attempt to curb these illegal activities, the Schéma Départemental d’Orientation Minière et d’Aménagement was set up by the government to map the regions where illegal mining activities take place.12
The French government under Emmanuel Macron has recently been under pressure from environmentalists and indigenous activists to suspend plans for an 800-hectare “mega-mine” which it is feared would damage the local environment. Montagne-D’Or planned to start mining operations in a remote rainforest area, citing benefits for the local economy.13
On February 14, 2024, Orea Mining Corp. announced its decision to cease operations and began winding up the company after all efforts to advance the Montagne d'Or gold project were thwarted by international sanctions imposed on its joint venture partner, Nord Gold plc. Unable to overcome the resulting challenges, Orea was formally assigned into bankruptcy on April 17, 2024.14
The government of French Guiana is working on a new mining framework, which is expected to help the country advance its gold exploration and investment activities and encourage sustainable and responsible mining activities in the future.
Future Outlook of the Mining Industry
French Guiana's mining sector is poised for transformation through a new regulatory framework promoting sustainable and responsible practices. While illegal mining remains a significant challenge, the focus on environmental protection and modern techniques offers potential for cleaner operations.
The region's untapped gold and critical metal reserves present strong investment opportunities. Continued government support will be key to balancing economic growth with ecological preservation.
References and Further Reading
- French Guiana [Online] Available at https://www.afd.fr/en/page-region-pays/french-guiana (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
- French Guiana [Online] Available at https://www.brgm.fr/en/regional-agency/french-guiana (Accessed on 22 April 2025) GDP in value (current prices) - French Guiana [Online] Available at https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/serie/010751772 (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
- GDP in value (current prices) - French Guiana [Online] Available at https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/serie/010751772 (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
- Jébrak, M., Heuret, A., & Rostan, P. (2021). The gold, peoples and multiple frontiers of French Guiana. The Extractive Industries and Society, 8(1), 8-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.exis.2020.11.005, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214790X20302902
- BRGM launches an update of the mineral resources inventory in French Guiana [Online] Available at https://www.brgm.fr/en/news/news/brgm-launches-update-mineral-resources-inventory-french-guiana (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
- Scammacca, O., Gunzburger, Y., Mehdizadeh, R. (2021). Gold mining in French Guiana: A multi-criteria classification of mining projects for risk assessment at the territorial scale. The Extractive Industries and Society, 8(1), 32-43. DOI: 10.1016/j.exis.2020.06.020, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214790X20302008
- France to put a stop to fossil fuel production [Online] Available at https://www.thelocal.fr/20170906/france-to-put-a-stop-to-fossil-fuel-production
- Petrobras’ oil plans in Equatorial Margin cause concern in French Guiana [Online] Available at https://apublica.org/2023/05/petrobras-oil-plans-in-equatorial-margin-cause-concern-in-french-guiana/ (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
- France Maintains Ban on Oil Exploration in French Guiana [Online] Available at https://energynews.pro/en/france-maintains-ban-on-oil-exploration-in-french-guiana/ (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
- 2019 Minerals Yearbook [Online] Available at https://pubs.usgs.gov/myb/vol3/2019/myb3-2019-french-guiana.pdf (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
- Orea Announces New Montagne d'Or Project Design with Significantly Reduced Environmental Impact [Online] Available at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/orea-announces-new-montagne-dor-project-design-with-significantly-reduced-environmental-impact-301366831.html (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
- Amazon mining threat: Illegal work in French Guiana forest [Online] Available at https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/2019/9/22/amazon-mining-threat-illegal-work-in-french-guiana-forest
- Paris to decide fate of 'mega' gold mine in forests of French Guiana [Online] Available at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/27/paris-to-decide-fate-of-mega-gold-mine-in-forests-of-french-guiana
- Montagne d'Or Project [Online] Available at https://miningdataonline.com/property/3030/Montagne-d'Or-Project.aspx (Accessed on 22 April 2025)
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