Operations have started at the giant Simandou iron-ore project in Guinea, marking a historic milestone for Africa’s largest greenfield mine and infrastructure development.

At a ceremony held at the new port in Forécariah prefecture, Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya joined project partners Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), Rio Tinto, Chinalco and China Baowu Group to officially launch the start of operations.

The integrated project includes more than 600 km of multi-use trans-Guinean rail linking the rich iron-ore deposits of southeastern Guinea to the Atlantic coast, along with barge and transshipment port facilities to enable bulk exports.

Once fully operational, the system will handle the export of up to 120-million tonnes a year of high-grade iron-ore from the WCS and SimFer mining concessions.

Testing and commissioning of the mine, rail, and port infrastructure are under way. Both WCS and SimFer have begun transporting iron-ore along the new railway, moving the project into its start-up phase after years of development.

The project is being co-developed by the government of Guinea, SimFer and WCS. Once commissioning is complete, ownership and operation of all rail and port infrastructure will transfer to the Compagnie du TransGuinéen (CTG), in which WCS and SimFer each hold a 42.5% stake, and the Guinean government holds 15%.

The start of operations represents the culmination of decades of effort to unlock Simandou, which contains some of the world’s highest-grade undeveloped iron-ore deposits. It is the world’s largest untapped iron-ore deposit, with estimated reserves of at least three-billion tons.

WCS chairperson Sun Xiushun said the milestone reflected years of collaboration and technical achievement, while Rio Tinto CEO Simon Trott hailed the start-up as an “outstanding achievement” and a new chapter for the global iron-ore industry.

The Simandou development is expected to make Guinea one of the world’s top iron-ore exporters, create thousands of local jobs, and provide a major boost to the country’s infrastructure and industrial base.

The high-grade ore, estimated to average more than 65% iron content, is expected to attract strong demand from steelmakers seeking to reduce carbon emissions by using higher-quality feedstock.

Doumbouya said the project symbolised Guinea’s emergence as a strategic player in global mining.

“Simandou is not just a project for Guinea – it is a project for Africa and for the world,” he said.

At $23-billion, it is Africa’s biggest ever mining project and could make Guinea the continent’s number-two exporter of minerals and metals by value.