Simandou railway commissioning is now under way in Guinea, with commissioning and testing starting on the integrated corridor linking a 600km trans-Guinean railway and a port for the Simandou iron-ore mine in the southeast, International Railway Journal reports.

Simandou railway commissioning enters testing phase
Rio Tinto’s CEO Simon Trott. Photo credit: SimFer

The first vessel left the port on December 3, as noted in a SimFer press release. Once commissioning and ramp-up are completed, SimFer and WCS are expected to transport up to 120 million tonnes of iron ore from their respective Simandou mining concessions.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Guinea Simandou railway and port project partners

The Guinea Simandou railway and port project is being jointly developed by the Guinean government, SimFer and WCS. The SimFer joint venture comprises Simfer SA, the holder of Simandou South Blocks 3 and 4, which is owned by the government (15%) and Simfer Jersey (85%).

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Simfer Jersey is a joint venture between Rio Tinto (53%) and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings, China (47%). WCS, meanwhile, is a consortium bringing together Winning International Group and Weiqiao Aluminium, China (51%) with Baowu Resources (49%).

Simandou railway commissioning and future operations

Once the infrastructure and rolling stock are commissioned, they will be transferred to and operated by the TransGuinéen Company (CTG). In CTG, SimFer and WCS each hold a 42.5% equity stake, with the government holding the remaining 15%.

Rolling-stock preparations linked to the 600km corridor have also been covered by Railway Supply.

Rio Tinto on Simandou iron ore

Commenting on the development, Rio Tinto CEO Simon Trott said it would “unlock an exceptional new source of high-grade iron ore” that customers want for low-carbon steel making, while enhancing the company’s iron ore portfolio in the Pilbara and Canada.

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