The Minister of Industry, Ahmed Zeghdar, confirmed on Saturday, 8 January 2023, from Tipaza that the project to exploit the strategic Ghar Djebilet mine in Tindouf is the “locomotive” of the iron and steel industry in Algeria to achieve future huge projects on which the country depends.
In press statements, on the side-lines of his presence in Bouharoun (Tipaza), accompanied by the Ministers of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, and Minister of Transport, Kamel Beldjoud, the minister explained the process of receiving the first Algerian-made locomotive to accompany ships transporting fuel to dock.
The project to exploit the strategic Ghar Djebilet mine in Tindouf “will constitute a locomotive for the iron and steel industry to achieve huge projects such as strengthening the railway network in Algeria.”
Mr Zeghdar considered that 2023 would be the year of “the real launch of the national industry” after 2022, during which his services, in coordination with other ministerial sectors, “removed the obstacles that hindered the launch of many projects.”
The Council of Ministers convened in May 2022, chaired by the President of Algeria, Mr Abdelmadjid Tebboune, had agreed to launch the first phase of exploiting Ghar Djebilet mine project before the official launch signal was given last July.
Last August, the Assistant Director General of the National Iron and Steel Corporation (FERAAL), Reda Belhadj, announced in a statement to the Algerian News Agency that the first quantity of iron ore estimated at 1,000 tons was extracted from this mine, two months after entering the exploitation phase.
In the first phase (2022-2025) of exploitation, the mine’s production capacity ranges from 2 to 3 million tonnes of iron ore, then it will increase to 40 to 50 million tonnes annually, starting in 2026, according to Feraal estimates.
For reference, the iron mine, Ghar Djebilet, is one of the largest mines in the world, with estimated reserves of more than 3 billion tonnes, of which 1.7 billion tonnes can be exploited, according to the same estimates.
