US miner Ivanhoe Atlantic has moved a step closer to developing its high-grade iron-ore operations in Guinea with the ratification of a key concession and access agreement by the Liberian legislature.

The agreement grants Ivanhoe Atlantic guaranteed access to transport iron-ore from the Kon Kweni project in Guinea to the Liberian Port of Buchanan using the Yekepa-Buchanan rail line. The rail line is government-owned and forms part of a planned independently operated multi-user corridor connecting West Africa to the Atlantic Ocean.

The Liberia ratification milestone is the culmination of six years of work by Ivanhoe Atlantic and Liberian government. This includes the 2019 implementation agreement between the governments of Guinea and Liberia which approved the legal and institutional framework for cross-border transport of minerals.

“This opens up a valuable logistics chain to other users in Liberia and neighbouring countries, including US-aligned companies looking to expand into the region,” said Ivanhoe Atlantic president and CEO Bronwyn Barnes.

Founded by billionaire Robert Friedland, Ivanhoe Atlantic is positioning its iron-ore mine and rail project as an alternative to China-led Simandou, pledging to deliver high-grade iron-ore to Western supply chains.

Ivanhoe Atlantic will now focus on completing remaining environmental approvals with both governments and advancing technical preparation for construction activities through a jointly established Technical Committee with the Guinea government.

The company in October submitted permit applications to the relevant authorities in Guinea and Liberia. The Guinea environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) covers Phase 1 mining activities, which will see initial production of two-million tonnes a year, ramping up to five-million tonnes a year, while the Liberian ESIA addresses the infrastructure component of the same phase.

A Phase 2 expansion, targeted for 2029, will be subject to separate ESIA processes and is expected to increase output to 30-million tonnes a year, along with associated infrastructure upgrades

Construction on Phase 1 is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals. In parallel, Ivanhoe Atlantic is preparing to hire key operational personnel and expand downstream partnerships with local service providers to maximise local content and economic growth.

Kon Kweni has a resource of 751.9-million tonnes of direct ship ore, of which 209-million tonnes is high-grade ore at 67.8% iron.

Liberia’s policy to transition to multi-user, independently operated rail is expected to create new opportunities for mining, agricultural and industrial freight along the shared rail infrastructure, Ivanhoe posits.