By: AGBI

Algeria will begin output from one of the world’s largest iron ore mines in early 2026 when a 4-million-tonnes-a-year processing plant being built by China’s Sinosteel is completed.

The Gâra Djebilet mine, in the western Tindouf province near the Moroccan border, started limited production two years ago, the government said.

The plant will perform crushing, screening and dry separation of raw material before storing and transporting it to consumer points, said Belkacem Sultani, CEO of Sonarem mining group, a subsidiary of the energy and mines ministry.

“The processing unit will be commissioned in April. It currently has a capacity of 4 million tonnes per year but it will be increased to 10 million tonnes in 2032,” Sultani told the official Algerian news agency.

Sultani said companies from the US, China and India had shown interest in investing in the mining project, which aims to diversify the North African country’s revenue sources.

Algeria plans to invest $7-$10 billion to develop the mine, the Algerian Alshuruq website quoted officials as saying this year.

The iron ore mine straddles more than 125 million square metres and is one of the world’s largest.

Gâra Djebilet contains an estimated 3.5 billion tonnes of iron ore, of which about 1.7 billion tonnes are exploitable, according to the ministry.

Algeria has completed most of a 1,000km rail line linking the mine to key industrial areas and export terminals.

In August, Algeria approved a new law to open its mining sector to foreign investors as part of a drive to tap mineral wealth and diversify its hydrocarbon-reliant economy.