Simandou, Nimba and Zogota: the long and difficult road to the start of iron ore production

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Simandou, Nimba and Zogota: the long and difficult road to the start of iron ore production

Guinea, which has some of the biggest unexploited iron ore deposits in the world in its south eastern corner, is also one of the countries in which they are the most difficult to bring into production, principally because of the absence of infrastructures to evacuate the ore. Société Minière de Boké, which has the rights to the northern part of the Simandou project, still believes in its project, however, and this could serve to encourage its neighbours in the southern part, Rio Tinto and Chinalco. Two other nearby iron ore bodies have also attracted the leading figures of the international mining sector, Nimba and Zogota. All this seems to be attracting new investors to adjoining exploration permits.

Simandou, Nimba and Zogota: the long and difficult road to the start of iron ore production

Guinea
China and US groups battle for Trans-Guinean contract

A Chinese and a US firm have both positioned themselves respectively on a major contract for the signalling and supply of locomotives for the future Trans-Guinean railway. The French giant Alstom is also taking a quiet interest in the project.

LogoSubscribers only Infrastructure 04.03.2024

Spotlight | Guinea
Robert Friedland's Nimba iron ore dilemma

The US-Canadian financier bought the vast iron project four years ago, but Guinea's ruling junta is showing little interest in developing it, and UNESCO has yet to give its essential green light.

Robert Friedland at the World Materials Forum in Nancy, France, on 18 June 2022.
LogoSubscribers only Mining 29.02.2024
Robert Friedland at the World Materials Forum in Nancy, France, on 18 June 2022.

Guinea
Rio Tinto puts finishing touches to Simandou mining project

The UK-Australian giant has been busy selecting subcontractors and discussing the sale price of iron with its Chinese buyers as it awaits its partner Chinalco's financial commitment to the project, hopefully in March. Rio Tinto has also been in talks with the Guinean junta.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 26.02.2024

Liberia
Robert Friedland seeks to schmooze president-elect Boakai

Robert Friedland is due to meet Liberia's new president in the next few weeks in the United States. The mining tycoon, reassured by the change of government, has made new acquisitions and hopes to gain access to the railway linking the Nimba mining area to the port of Buchanan.

Billionaire Robert Friedland.
LogoSubscribers only Mining 11.12.2023
Billionaire Robert Friedland.

Guinea
UMS to recover rerouted mining plane after lengthy legal battle

The plane was supposed to travel to France for maintenance work, but was re-routed to Canada.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 24.10.2023

Guinea
Simandou work still on hold as contractors wait for funds to be released

Contrary to claims from the junta and Rio Tinto, work will not get under way properly at Simandou until the necessary funds have been released. This should happen only when Baowu Steel has been officially admitted into the WCS consortium.

Mouth of the Kindia railway tunnel. The 600km railway will connect the Simandou iron ore mining sites with the Atlantic Ocean port at Morebaya.
LogoSubscribers only Mining 12.09.2023
Mouth of the Kindia railway tunnel. The 600km railway will connect the Simandou iron ore mining sites with the Atlantic Ocean port at Morebaya.

Guinea
Inside the Baowu-Winning Consortium Simandou iron project deal

The Chinese group Baowu and Winning Consortium Simandou has just signed a cooperation agreement, so that when the Simandou iron ore mine comes on stream, the steel giant will become the majority shareholder.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 08.09.2023

Guinea
Friedland executives and lobbyists battle Jindal over Nimba project

Magnate Robert Friedland's representatives in Conakry sent letters to Guinean junta leader Mamadi Doumbouya and Jindal's management, declining to sell their Nimba iron ore deposit to the Indian group, although the mining project is struggling.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 29.05.2023

Liberia
US Department of State attempts to mediate between ArcelorMittal and HPX

The management of the rail link between Liberian mining sites and the port of Buchanan is still the subject of intense negotiations. To try to find a solution to this logistical and commercial disagreement, the State Department brought together in Washington executives from ArcelorMittal and the American company High Power Exploration.

LogoSubscribers only Infrastructure, Mining 16.05.2023

Guinea
Robert Friedland reorganises his Nimba project ahead of possible sale to Jindal

American-Canadian mining magnate Robert Friedland no longer believes that he can complete the Nimba iron ore mining project being carried out by his High Power Exploration (HPX) group and its local subsidiary, Société des Mines de Fer de Guinée.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 10.05.2023

Spotlight | Guinea
The $500m stand-off developing over Simandou

The two consortia involved in the Simandou iron ore project seem to be reluctant to pledge the $500m sought by the construction groups to restart the rail construction work that was stopped in 2022. These uncertainties are fuelling renewed tensions.

LogoSubscribers only Infrastructure, Mining 14.03.2023

Guinea
Rio Tinto hammers out Simandou final deal details with Conakry

The Anglo-Australian giant's negotiating team is in the home straight of its talks with Guinean authorities and with WCS, the other consortium on the Simandou iron deposit.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 28.02.2023

Guinea
Rio Tinto seeks UN support at Simandou

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto just approached UN Capital Development Fund for help developping projects for the local population around the enormous Simandou iron deposit in Guinea.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 08.12.2022

Guinea
WCS works on new Simandou strategy

Winning Consortium Simandou has retained Franco-Australian lawyer Christophe Asselineau, indicating a shift of power between the three partners of the consortium that owns blocks 1 and 2 of the massive iron ore deposit in Guinea.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 25.10.2022

Guinea
Rio Tinto and WCS in talks over Simandou

The Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto and Winning Consortium Simandou are finally seeking to coordinate their respective projects at the Simandou iron ore site. These discussions have been made possible by Winning International's newly ascendant position within WCS and a change in the personnel leading the discussions.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 10.10.2022

Guinea, Liberia
Robert Friedland hits pause button in Guinea, Liberia

The US-Canadian mining magnate is grappling with political uncertainty in Monrovia and Conakry. While waiting for things to settle down, he has suspended most of his works and has put hundreds of employees on standby.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 20.09.2022

Guinea
Beijing triggers new dynamic at Simandou

The creation of Beijing's new iron ore purchasing arm, China Mineral Resources Group, led by Baowu Steel executives, is likely to entail changes for Chinese state firms involved in the two consortiums that own the colossal Guinean deposit.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 15.09.2022

Guinea
Beny Steinmetz's group tries to appeal in Paris over Simandou iron arbitration

After losing to the Guinean state, which it accuses of expropriation, the Franco-Israeli billionaire's company, Beny Steinmetz Group Resources (BSGR), is seeking to overturn the decision of the World Bank arbitration tribunal. It is invoking the out-of-court settlement obtained by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2019.

LogoSubscribers only Mining 01.09.2022

Guinea
Ismael Diakité spearheads negotiations for Winning Consortium Simandou

The former Rio Tinto exec and current chairman of the Chamber of Mines, who is also the deputy managing director of the Chinese-Singaporean-Guinean consortium, has been leading the negotiations on the Simandou iron ore project.

Free access Mining 13.07.2022

Guinea
Railway forces UMS to readjust its bauxite operations

A new railway for hauling bauxite to port for world aluminium markets has forced mining logistic firm United Mining Supply to abandon its operations with the Malapouya site and redeploy to sites further inland. UMS is also a shareholder of the Simandou iron ore project.

The railway of the Société Minière de Boké.
LogoSubscribers only Infrastructure, Mining 11.07.2022
The railway of the Société Minière de Boké.

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Simandou, Nimba and Zogota: the long and difficult road to the start of iron ore production


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