Tag Archives: Simandou

Metso to deliver Nordberg cone crushers to WCS’ Simandou iron ore project

Comminution of minerals, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

Metso says it has received an order exceeding €10 million ($10.9 million) from Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) for the supply of key crushing equipment for its concentrator plant at Simandou Iron Ore Blocks 1 and 2 in the Republic of Guinea.

Metso’s scope of delivery consists of 16 Nordberg® HP900™ secondary and tertiary cone crushers, a crusher series that has over 10,000 installations worldwide in the aggregate and mining industries.

Xun Fang, Head of Metso’s Minerals Sales in Greater China, said: “We are pleased to be chosen as the supplier of the state-of-the-art crushing equipment for the Simandou iron project by WCS. We will leverage our global knowledge and resources to support the success of this project.”

Winning Consortium Simandou has been set up by the founders of SMB Winning Consortium, namely Winning International Group from Singapore, China Hongqiao and UMS Guinea. WCS won the public tender to develop Simandou Iron Ore Blocks 1 and 2 in November 2019 and signed a Base Convention agreement with the Guinean Government in June 2020.

Simandou Blocks 3 and 4 are held by Simfer S.A., which is owned by the Guinean State (15%) and Simfer Jersey Limited (85%). Simfer Jersey Limited is a joint venture between the Rio Tinto Group (53%) and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings Ltd (CIOH) (47%), a Chinalco-led joint venture of leading Chinese SOEs (Chinalco (75%), Baowu (20%), China Rail Construction Corporation (2.5%) and China Harbour Engineering Company (2.5%)).

AtkinsRéalis to take on integrated delivery partner role at Simandou

Mining project news, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

AtkinsRéalis, a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, has been appointed as the integrated delivery partner by Rio Tinto for the Simandou mining project in the Republic of Guinea.

In the role of integrated delivery partner, AtkinsRéalis’ global and multi-disciplinary Minerals & Metals team will provide project and construction management, engineering and technical compliance, plus contract management services as part of the multi-year contract.

This represents AtkinsRéalis’ largest mining project in the last decade, and the first mining project the company will deliver under the role of integrated delivery partner.

The Simandou site is home to the last-known, largest and richest untapped high-grade iron ore deposit in the world, AtkinsRéalis says.

The Simfer joint venture’s mine concession held an estimated total mineral resource as at December 31, 2022, of 2,800 Mt, of which Rio Tinto recently reported the conversion of an estimated 1,500 Mt to ore reserves that support a mine life of 26 years, with an average grade of 65.3% Fe and low impurities.

“Decarbonising future infrastructure projects means looking at end-to-end construction and engineering processes, including steel production,” César Inostroza, CEO, Minerals & Metals, AtkinsRéalis, says. “New infrastructure builds are only increasing in frequency and scale, as public and private-sector clients look to decarbonise, manage climate risk and build climate resiliency. Simandou’s first-class iron ore deposit will be a vital ally to the world’s Net Zero transition, producing the lower-carbon intensity steel needed for these sustainable infrastructure new builds.

“Throughout our mandate at Simandou, a top priority is to deploy the full breadth of our Engineering Net Zero capabilities, to ensure sustainable mining solutions are prioritised at all stages. Not only will we be responsible stewards of the land, but we look forward to providing social value and economic opportunities for current and future generations of Guineans.”

Oversight of the rail line and port components of the project will involve a joint collaboration between AtkinsRéalis’ Transportation and Minerals & Metals teams. This includes bringing together expertise from project teams in Montreal, London, Conakry and Belo Horizonte.

Simfer Jersey Limited is a joint venture between the Rio Tinto Group (53%) and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings Ltd (CIOH) (47%), a Chinalco-led joint venture of leading Chinese SOEs (Chinalco (75%), Baowu (20%), China Rail Construction Corporation (2.5%) and China Harbour Engineering Company (2.5%)). Simfer S.A. is the holder of the mining concession covering Simandou Blocks 3 & 4, and is owned by the Guinean State (15%) and Simfer Jersey Limited (85%). Simfer Infraco Guinée S.A.U. will deliver Simfer’s scope of the co-developed rail and port infrastructure, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Simfer Jersey Limited, but will be co-owned by the Guinean State (15%) after closing of the co-development arrangements.

Rio Tinto and partners incorporate new entity to progress Simandou iron ore plans

Mineral project development, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

The government of the Republic of Guinea, Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) and Rio Tinto Simfer have incorporated the La Compagnie du TransGuinéen (The TransGuinean Company) to further progress plans to co-develop the multi-purpose and multi-user infrastructure for the Simandou iron ore project, in the country.

The joint venture incorporation is a significant milestone in implementation of the framework agreement signed among the parties on March 25, 2022. It has been fully registered and established in Guinea and is intended, following negotiation of definitive tripartite entity arrangements, the company will be the central structure for the co-development of the rail and the port components of the Simandou iron ore development project.

Following the incorporation of the joint venture, the parties will now work on next steps including shareholding agreement, finalising cost estimates and funding, and securing all necessary approvals and other permits and agreements required to progress the co-development of infrastructure.

WCS and Rio Tinto Simfer are committed to co-develop the rail and port infrastructures in line with internationally recognised environmental, social and governance standards, Rio says. This milestone paves the way to progress the shareholder agreement, and secure necessary financing to construct a strategic corridor with more than 600 km of rail infrastructure extending from south to south-west of the Republic of Guinea, as well as port infrastructure in the Forécariah prefecture in Maritime Guinea.

The infrastructure constitutes the backbone of the Simandou project, that presents a significant opportunity for the economic growth of the Republic of Guinea, in addition to the mining activities it will support, Rio says.

Sun Xiushun, Chairman of the Winning Consortium, said: “We are extremely grateful to our joint venture partners, the Guinean government and Rio Tinto Simfer for the spirit of cooperation they have shown in achieving this major milestone. The creation of La Compagnie du TransGuinéen is a positive step and builds a solid foundation for the realisation of the Simandou project. More importantly, it shows that WCS respects its commitments in a concrete way: to build and develop Guinea, and to significantly contribute to strengthening the country’s economy. WCS welcomes today’s signing and thanks all its partners on the ground, particularly our Guinean employees and surrounding communities without whom all this would not have been possible.”

Rio Tinto Executive Committee member in charge of the Simandou project and Copper Chief Executive, Bold Baatar, said: “The incorporation of La Compagnie du TransGuinéen with our partners underscores the importance of the Simandou resource in today’s decarbonising world, and its development will complement Rio Tinto’s strong iron ore portfolio. It is also a very important moment for Guinea and for Guineans, for whom the project’s southern infrastructure corridor has the potential to bring significant benefits for regional economic development by leveraging international project and ESG standards. We are most grateful to the government of Guinea and WCS for their collaboration and look forward to making the promise of Simandou a reality.”

Djiba Diakité, Chairman of the Strategic Committee of the Simandou project and Minister Director of the Office of the Presidency of the Republic, said: “Under the leadership of the Head of State, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, the Republic of Guinea reassures the partners, and the world of its firm will to develop the Simandou project in the best interests of the people of Guinea, and all partners. Guinea’s mineral resources belong without exception to all of its daughters and sons and therefore nothing will be done to their detriment. Our country remains open to all responsible and serious mining investment that will help support the sustainable development of our economy and, in turn, is committed to maintaining a stable and calm business climate.”

WCS and Rio Tinto Simfer, the holders of blocks 1-2 and 3-4, respectively, are fully engaged with all stakeholders at national and local level to transform the iron ore potential of the Simandou mountain range into a sustainable source of wealth for the people of Guinea for generations to come, Rio added.

Shareholding of La Compagnie du TransGuinéen will be split between development partners Simfer Jersey Ltd. and WCS each receiving a 42.5% equity share and the Government of Guinea taking a 15% free carry equity stake.

WCS is a consortium of Singaporean company, Winning International Group (45%), Weiqiao Aluminium (part of the China Hongqiao Group) (35%) and United Mining Suppliers International (20%). WCS is the holder of Simandou North block 1-2 (with the Government of Guinea holding a 15% interest in the mining vehicle and WCS holding 85%) and associated infrastructure.

The Simfer joint venture comprises Simfer S.A., the holder of Simandou South Blocks 3 & 4, which is owned by the Government of Guinea (15%) and Simfer Jersey Limited (85%). In turn, Simfer Jersey Limited, is a joint venture between the Rio Tinto Group (53%) and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings (CIOH) (47%) – a Chinalco-led joint venture of leading Chinese SOEs (Chinalco (75%), Baowu (20%), China Rail Construction Corporation (CRCC) (2.5%) and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) (2.5%).