Rio Tinto has reached a major milestone at its Simandou high-grade iron ore project in Guinea, with first ore now being loaded for transport from the mine to the port.
The project, one of the world’s largest undeveloped iron ore deposits, represents a cornerstone of Rio Tinto’s long-term growth strategy.
Developed through the SimFer joint venture – comprising Rio Tinto (85 per cent) and the Government of Guinea (15 per cent) – Simandou is designed to deliver 60 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of iron ore once fully operational, with 27Mtpa attributable to Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto chief executive Simon Trott described the achievement as an important step forward in the company’s growth pipeline.
“We are focused on delivering a strong finish to the year from the Pilbara,” Trott said.
“Our growth projects are also progressing at pace; at Simandou, we started loading first ore at the mine for movement down the rail and to the port in October.”
At the end of the September quarter, around 1.5 million tonnes of ore had been stockpiled at the SimFer mine gate. The ore is now being moved via the SimFer rail spur to the main line and will initially be shipped through the Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) port while Rio Tinto’s own SimFer port undergoes final construction.
The milestone marks the beginning of commissioning tests across the full integrated system – mine, rail and port – a process expected to span several months before ramping up to full capacity over a 30-month period. The first shipment is expected to begin loading around November.
Simandou’s infrastructure development is a multi-partner effort involving Chinalco-led CIOH, Baowu, WCS and the Republic of Guinea. Together, the partners are co-developing rail and port facilities capable of handling up to 120 million tonnes per year of iron ore mined by SimFer and WCS across their respective concessions.
The 536km dual-track main rail line and associated spurs form the backbone of the project. Rio Tinto’s 70km SimFer spur line is now complete, with tunnel works finished in August, while the SimFer port continues to progress ahead of schedule. Fabrication of transhipment vessels is underway at a shipyard in China.
With mine development, rail infrastructure and port construction advancing on schedule, Rio Tinto remains on track to meet its 2025 production guidance and deliver sustained mid-term growth from Simandou.
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