Algeria is set to commission its first iron ore pre-processing unit at the Gara Djebilet mine in Tindouf Province by the end of April 2026, with an annual production capacity of 4 million tonnes, according to Belkacem Soltani, Chairman and CEO of the National Mining Industrial Group (SONAREM).
In an interview with APS, Soltani explained that the plant — currently under construction at the mine site — will crush, grind, and dry-screen the extracted raw material before storing and transporting it. He noted that the adopted technologies will enable a recovery rate exceeding 85%.
The project, whose foundation stone was laid by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in late 2023, is part of Algeria’s strategy to enhance the value of its mineral resources by developing the Gara Djebilet mine, one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world, with reserves estimated at 3.5 billion tonnes.
Meanwhile, work is progressing at a rapid pace on the construction of the first iron concentrate production unit, also with a capacity of 4 million tonnes per year, under a partnership between FERAAL (a subsidiary of SONAREM) and Tosyali Algeria. The project is expected to be expanded to reach 10 million tonnes per year of iron concentrate and pellets by 2032.
This facility aims to produce high-grade iron concentrate (63%) while reducing the phosphorus content, a crucial step before producing semi-finished materials for Tosyali’s steel complex in Oran.
Soltani also revealed that several major international companies from the United States, India, and China have shown strong interest in investing and cooperating in Algeria’s mining sector, particularly at Gara Djebilet. He noted that joint working groups have been established between SONAREM and some of these firms to develop modern methods for phosphorus reduction and accelerate local technical testing, thereby speeding up the project’s implementation.
