Operations have begun at Rio Tinto’s Simandou joint venture – Africa’s largest greenfield integrated mine and infrastructure project.
A celebration to mark the milestone was held at the port in Forécariah prefecture with partners in attendance including Rio Tinto and the President of the Republic of Guinea.
Simandou is delivering more than 600km of new multi-use trans-Guinean rail alongside barge and transhipment vessel port facilities, helping to support the export of a combined 120 million tonnes per year of mined iron ore by joint-venture exploration company SimFer.
Testing and commissioning of the mine, rail and barge port infrastructure is currently underway, with the transport of iron ore from mine gate to the port completed via the rail line.
The project is being co-developed by the Government of the Republic of Guinea, SimFer and WCS – a consortium between Winning International Group, Weiqiao Aluminium, United Mining Suppliers and Baowu Resources.
“This outstanding achievement has been made possible through the dedicated hard work of thousands of our colleagues, and the complementary strengths and expertise of Rio Tinto, our SimFer partners, the Government of Guinea and Winning Consortium Simandou,” Rio Tinto chief executive Simon Trott said in a statement.
The sentiment was echoed by local partners – with the project described as “more than a mining project”.
“It [Simandou] is the driving force behind a national transformation. This collective success reflects the vision of the Head of State and the determination of an entire nation to build a future of shared prosperity,” chief of staff to the President of the Republic of Guinea Djiba Diakité said.
“This inauguration marks a foundational milestone for Guinea, which now stands as a key player in sustainable development and economic sovereignty in West Africa.”
Simandou is divided into four blocks, with Rio Tinto holding rights to blocks 3 and 4 through the Rio Tinto SimFer joint venture with the Government of Guinea and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings (CIOH). These blocks contain ore reserves estimated at around 1.5 billion tonnes.
Rio Tinto is the majority shareholder and managing partner of Rio Tinto SimFer.
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