The world's largest greenfield iron ore project—the Simandou iron ore mine in Guinea—officially commenced production in the presence of numerous witnesses.
A greenfield iron ore project is a new development project built from scratch, with no prior mining activity.
The ceremony was held on Tuesday afternoon, November 11th, at the new port of Morebaya, near Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Many guests arrived by speedboat from the capital to witness the completion of this project, which was rapidly built in six years and will profoundly impact the global iron ore trade landscape.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong represented Chinese President Xi Jinping at the production commencement ceremony. Other African leaders in attendance included Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema. Guinean Transitional President Mamady Doumbouya, dressed in a traditional white robe, made a grand entrance as the final guest.
敦布亚是在2021年发动军事军变，推翻时任总统孔戴，并领导过渡政府执政至今。几内亚将在12月28日举行总统选举。
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The Simandou iron ore project, with an overall development cost of US$23.2 billion (approximately S$30 billion), is being developed by at least six parties, including Winning International (Singapore), the world's largest bauxite seagoing operator; Weiqiao Aluminum (a subsidiary of China Hongqiao Group), a private enterprise from Shandong, China; China Baowu Steel Group, the world's largest steel producer; Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian iron ore giant; Chinalco; and the Guinean government.
The Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), formed by Winning International and Hongqiao Group, is responsible for the development of the northern mining area.
In addition to the approximately 700 square kilometers of the north and south mining areas, the approximately 650-kilometer-long Trans-Guinea Heavy-Haul Railway and the port of Morebaya, near the Guinean capital Conakry, are also important components of the project. The project's final production capacity will reach 120 million metric tons per year, with the north and south mining areas each accounting for half, representing approximately 5% of the global iron ore trade demand.
Singapore Representatives Attend Production Launch Ceremony
Attendees at the production launch ceremony included former Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo, Business China Chairman Lee Yi Shyan, and Enterprise Singapore Honorary Mentor Chen Dejun, among other Singaporean representatives.
In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, George Yeo stated that the Simandou iron ore project is of great significance, opening a new chapter for Guinea and inspiring all African countries, demonstrating the achievements achievable through investment and technology.
He also pointed out that Africa, with an area approximately three times that of China or the United States, is extremely rich in resources. He expressed pride in Wintek International's participation in the Simandou project as a Singaporean company, and emphasized the importance of Singaporeans paying attention to global developments and Africa's growing importance.
Yeo said, "I hope the project will become widely known in Singapore, raising awareness of the opportunities in Africa and encouraging Singaporeans to collaborate not only with ourselves but also with other partners."
Lee Yi Shyan, in an interview, also noted that the Simandou iron ore project is the largest single investment by a Singaporean company in Africa to date, and its successful implementation highlights Singapore's advantages as an open economy.
He said, "It demonstrates that Singapore, as an open economy, can continuously attract new immigrants who bring global business networks, expanding Singapore's external economic space. This network is larger, stronger, and covers more industries than when we were operating alone."
Singaporean management combined with Chinese capabilities is one of the core elements for project implementation. The main driving force behind the Simandou iron ore mine's rapid development in just six years is Sun Xiushun (61 years old), founder and president of Winning International Group; he is also the chairman of the Simandou Winning Alliance.
Originally from Shandong, China, Sun Xiushun started as a sailor and began his business in 2002 through bauxite transportation. Around 2006, he moved the core of his operations to Singapore to be closer to mining companies in Indonesia. In 2012, he became a Singaporean citizen.
In 2013, Indonesia restricted bauxite exports. Forced by the situation, Sun Xiushun entered Guinea in West Africa in 2014, which ironically led him to become the world's largest bauxite shipping company in a very short time, and also propelled Guinea to become the world's largest bauxite exporter.
In 2019, despite having no prior experience in iron ore development and management, he led the SMB-Winning Consortium to win the development rights for the Simandou North mining area, restarting a project that had been stalled for over 20 years. Rio Tinto had already obtained exploration rights for the Simandou iron ore mine from the Guinean government in 1997, and subsequently acquired partial mining rights, but the project was delayed due to multiple factors including politics, infrastructure, and cooperation disputes.
When asked how such a massive Simandou iron ore project could be implemented in just six years, Sun Xiushun told Lianhe Zaobao that it relied on three core elements: first, scientific management; second, hiring a professional and efficient Chinese team to provide technical support and construction capabilities; and third, introducing Singapore's efficiency and advantages in financial and resource integration, achieving an organic combination of "Chinese capabilities" and "Singaporean management."
Yang Rongwen and Li Yixian, among others, also visited the bauxite production line developed by the SMB-Winning Consortium (SMB-Winning Consortium), a subsidiary of Winning International, in Boke, Guinea.
