Algeria finishes most of rail project for giant iron ore mine
The official Algerian news agency said on Monday that a 135-km line connecting Gâra Djebilet mine to the rail network in the Western Tindouf province has been finished.
The agency quoted project manager Abdul Qadir Mazar that the bulk of the rest of the rail line has also been completed and that it would be commissioned late this year.
'The completion of this project is a big leap in the efforts to fully exploit this mine and transport iron ore to other parts of the country and export terminals,' he said.
Algeria said last year it is planning to invest $7-10 billion for the development of the giant mine with a targeted production of 40 million tonnes of iron.
The Gâra Djebilet mine was commissioned in mid-2022 with planned initial production of between two to three million tonnes per year.
The mine straddles over an area of more than 125 million square metres and is rated as one of the world's largest iron mines.
The Energy and Mines Ministry said it has set a target to produce 12 million tonnes of iron per year from the mine in 2025 and over 40 million tonnes per year in 2040.
Gâra Djebilet contains an estimated 3.5 billion tonnes of iron ore, of which around 1.7 billion tonnes are exploitable.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
(anoop.menon@lseg.com)
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