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The Simandou project is imminently due to become the world’s largest greenfield mining project and the largest ever undertaken on the African continent. This once-in-a-generation megaproject will not only place Guinea on the world stage as a top global producer of high-quality, low impurity iron ore, it will also set a new benchmark for large scale project development throughout the region.
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Rio Tinto and CR18 celebrate the launch of construction works on the Beyla-Kérouané railway

September 30, 2023

Kérouané, Republic of Guinea ─ Rio Tinto and its construction partner CR18 are celebrating the completion of preparatory works on the 75 km spur rail between Beyla and the future Compagnie du TransGuinéen railway in Kérouané. To mark the launch of the construction works, the Rio Tinto and CR18 teams today invited local officials and elected representatives to visit the recently finished construction camps.

In just 6 months, the CR18 and Rio Tinto teams have completed the construction of four camps, each with a capacity for up to 1,600 people. They will house the workers of the future railway line between Beyla and Kérouané and are strategically positioned so that each one allows the construction of a 20 km section of railway.

Local and international workers will gradually move together into these new facilities between now and the end of October 2023. The layout of the camps and the services that will be offered have been designed to provide pleasant living conditions – with three meals per day provided, laundry service, and weekly changes of bedding – and to meet the international standards in force throughout the duration of the work.

With regard to the construction of the railway line, Rio Tinto finalized its land acquisition programme on Monday 25 September, one week ahead of schedule. This demonstrates the success of collaborative programmes led by Rio Tinto’s Community and Social Performance teams, which involved local community leaders in a compensation programme working group from the outset.

In parallel, 65 km of access road has already been created and 20% of the clearing works necessary for the construction of the railway line and branch line have been completed, despite the technical challenges generated by the rainy season. As a result, CR18 and Rio Tinto workers can now work on the construction of the 75km of railway and its associated infrastructure (sidings, bridges, tunnels, roads, etc.).

In line with Rio Tinto’s commitment to local content and skills transfer, Rio Tinto and CR18 mobilized 820 people for this project. More than 66,000 hours of training were completed between January and September 2023. It should be noted that thanks to the many programs provided around safety, the teams have exceeded one million hours worked without incident.

Chris Aitchison, Managing Director of Rio Tinto SimFer, said: “We are proud to have completed the preparatory work ahead of schedule and to be launching the main construction program for the railway between Beyla and Kérouané today. This would not have been possible without the precise work and perfect collaboration with the CR18 teams, who put at our disposal their extensive experience of railway construction in West Africa. Together, we will continue our efforts to deliver facilities and rail infrastructure that meet the highest international standards, which will allow an efficient link between our Beyla mine and the future line of the Compagnie du TransGuinéen.”