Australia is watching with a complex feeling as the high-grade Simandou iron ore mine in Guinea officially starts production
The Simandou joint venture project of Rio Tinto Group - Africa's largest new integrated mine and infrastructure project - has officially started production.
To celebrate this milestone, a celebration was held at the port in Forecaria province, attended by partners including Rio Tinto Group and the President of the Republic of Guinea.
The Simandou area is building more than 600 kilometers of new multi-purpose cross-Guinea railway, as well as barge and transfer ship port facilities, which will help the joint exploration company (with China Aluminum, editor's note) SimFer to export 120 million tons of iron ore per year.
Currently, testing and commissioning of the mine, railway, and barge port infrastructure are underway, and iron ore has been transported from the mine to the port via railway.
The project is jointly developed by the Government of the Republic of Guinea, SimFer Company, and WCS. WCS is a consortium consisting of Winning International Group, Weiqiao Aluminum, United Mining Suppliers, and Baowu Resources.
Rio Tinto CEO Simon Trott said in a statement: "This outstanding achievement would not have been possible without the hard work of thousands of our colleagues, as well as the complementary strengths and expertise of Rio Tinto, our SimFer partners, the Government of Guinea, and the Winning Consortium Simandou."
Local partners also expressed the same view, stating that the project "is not just an mining project."
Head of the Office of the President of the Republic of Guinea, Kiba Diakite, stated: "The Simandou project is a driver of national transformation. This collective success reflects the vision of the head of state and the determination of the people of the country to build a shared prosperous future."
"The inauguration ceremony marks an important milestone in the development of Guinea. Now, Guinea has become an important participant in sustainable development and economic sovereignty in West Africa."
The Simandou area is divided into four blocks, and Rio Tinto holds the right to exploit blocks 3 and 4 through its joint venture company Rio SimFer, established with the Government of Guinea and China Aluminum Iron Ore Holding Company (CIOH). The estimated mineral reserves of these blocks are about 1.5 billion tons.
Rio Tinto Group is the majority shareholder and managing partner of the Rio SimFer joint venture.
Source: australianmining
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848610240540681/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself