Simandou mine

The Simandou mine is a very large, high-grade iron-ore deposit in the southern highlands of Guinea. Running along the crest of the Simandou range in the Nzérékoré Region, the project holds an estimated 2.4 billion tonnes of ore grading 65 percent iron, making it one of the largest untapped iron-ore resources in the world. Development was delayed for decades by ownership disputes, corruption allegations, and the need for a 622-kilometre railway and a deep-water port to reach the Atlantic coast. Commercial exports began in late 2025, with the first shipments going to China. Chinese commentators have described Simandou as strategically important to China’s efforts to diversify iron ore imports away from Australia and increase long-term supply security. The project’s development accelerated amid broader geopolitical tensions between China and Australia following the formation of the AUKUS security pact in 2021. Declining Chinese steel demand combined with increased supply from Simandou could place pressure on Australia’s Pilbara region.

Mine data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).