Algiers, Assistant Director General of the National Iron and Steel Corporation (FERAL), Belhadj Reda, confirmed that between 2022 and 2023, more than 250 thousand tons of iron ore were extracted from the Gara Jbeilat mine.
Mr. Belhadj explained, in a press interview with Algerian Radio Channel 1, that about a quarter of a million tons (250 thousand tons) of iron ore have been extracted from the Gara Jbeilat mine since it entered exploitation, within the framework of the first phase, which aims mainly to determine the actual capabilities of the mine after… It enters into service, confirms the studies completed before the project, and completes the research that has been undertaken in this field.
The extracted quantities are directed to meet part of the needs of the national market, with the possibility of exporting part of it, especially in light of the rise in their prices on global markets as part of efforts to increase the country’s revenues outside the fuel sector.
According to the official, who pointed out that the price of iron ore in global markets exceeded $135 per ton, up from $100 recorded in December 2022, i.e. an increase of 35%.
In this context, Mr. Belhadj mentioned the importance of the Gara Jbeilat project, which is one of the most important and reliable structural projects in view of the huge number of job positions that will be created directly and indirectly, estimated respectively at 25 thousand and 125 thousand jobs, in addition to the boost it will give to the national industry. .
Gara Jbeilat is considered one of the largest mines in the world in terms of reserves, estimated at about 3.5 billion tons of iron ore, while production capabilities are estimated at 2 to 3 million tons annually within 2025, before gradually rising to reach 50 million tons annually by 2040.
It is expected that the mine will constitute one of the main sources to meet the local needs for iron ore in the country, along with the Ouenza and Boukhadra mines (Tebessa Province), which together produce an estimated 2 million tons annually.
This project will greatly meet the national needs for iron ore, in addition to the economic dynamism that it will create around it, as it will be accompanied by several other projects, the most important of which is the project to complete the Gara Jbeilat-Bashar railway line, and the Bashar Complex for the production of railway tracks, metal structures and railway cars for transporting ore. Iron.
Mr. Belhadj described the decision of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to launch the railway line between Gara Jbeilat and Bchar, at a distance of 950 km, as a “brave” decision, as it represents a “turning point” in the success of the project.
Regarding steel, the spokesman pointed out that national production increased between 2013 and 2023 from 1 million tons to 6 million tons, and production – according to him – may reach an expected 12 million tons in 2026, a volume that corresponds to 20 million tons of raw materials.
