The Railway and Port Conventions for the Evacuation of Iron Ore from Blocks I and II of Simandou have been officially signed
Conakry (Guinea), November 12, 2020 – Following the approval by the Council of Ministers of the Government of the Republic of Guinea, and on behalf of the Guinean government, the Ministers in charge of Mines, Budget and Transport officially signed with the Winning Consortium the Railway Convention for the Evacuation of Iron Ore from Simandou Blocks I and II and the Port Convention for the Evacuation of Iron Ore from Simandou Blocks I and II.
The Base Agreement for the Simandou Blocks I and II Deposit Exploitation Project entered into force on July 3, 2020, which includes the general principles on the construction of rail and port infrastructure. The rail and port agreements signed today have specified the specific conditions for the construction of the infrastructures concerned. The finalization of these two agreements completes the investment framework of the Simandou Blocks I and II project, and constitutes a solid basis for the progress of the Simandou project by the Winning Consortium. According to the general provisions of the Simandou Blocks I and II project, WCS will build a railway line of approximately 600 kilometers and a multimodal port, to export its iron ore via Guinean territory. The Simandou project will propel Guinea’s economic development on a larger scale, well beyond the many benefits in terms of direct and indirect jobs and increased local incomes. The Ministry of Mines and Geology estimates that the direct revenues of the State will be around 15.5 billion US dollars over the entire duration of the project.
According to Mr. SUN Xiushun, Chairman of the WCS Board of Directors, despite the health and economic crisis we are going through, WCS strictly respects the schedule established for the organization and progress of all work. “We are confident in our ability to carry out this major project! Firmly committed to environmental protection and sustainable development, WCS will combine the efforts of all to build a mining project at the forefront of the world, so that the Guinean people can benefit from it, and that mutual benefits for all stakeholders arise.
Winning Consortium Simandou, formed by Winning International Group of Singapore, Shandong Weiqiao Pioneering Group of China and United Mining Supply (UMS) of Guinea, obtained in November 2019 the right to exploit Simandou Blocks I and II Iron Ore in the international tender procedure organized by the Guinean government. The three WCS member companies have been cooperating with Yantai Port Group of Shandong Province in China to develop bauxite mining in the Boké region of Guinea since 2015, the annual production and export of which has exceeded 45 million tons.