Algeria’s state-owned Sonarem Group, operator of the Gara Djebilet iron ore mine, has held talks with China’s Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) on ways to reduce phosphorus levels in the deposit, local media reported. The initiative seeks to make the ore suitable for domestic steel production and reduce Algeria’s reliance on imports.
Sonarem CEO Belkacem Soltani proposed creating joint Algerian-Chinese working groups to conduct local trials, avoiding the cost and delays of transporting ore first to Oran and then to China. The collaboration is aimed at accelerating technical solutions that would enable local processing and support Algeria’s long-term mining strategy.
The Gara Djebilet mine, with estimated reserves of 3.5 bln tons, is among the world’s largest iron ore deposits. It is expected to reach full capacity by 2026, once a new railway link is completed.
