Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has announced that the US$15bn Simandou project, the largest greenfield integrated mine and infrastructure investment in Africa to date, has now completed, including the required Guinean and Chinese regulatory approvals
WFW, an international sector-focussed law firm, has been advising the Republic of Guinea through a multidisciplinary cross-border team. Whilst Simandou revolves around the exploitation of four world-class iron ore blocks in southern Guinea, the project goes beyond mining and includes the construction and operation of a 600+ km multi-use railway line connecting the blocks to a large, newly constructed state-of-the-art mineral port to export up to 120mn tonnes of iron internationally. This new rail and port infrastructure will act as a catalyst for transforming Guinea’s economic development, unlocking prosperity well beyond the Simandou corridor.
The closing was followed by the second anniversary celebration for Compagnie du Transguinéen (CTG), the joint venture consortium that will own and manage the Simandou rail and port infrastructure and is comprised of Guinea, Baowu Group, Simfer Jersey, and WCS. The signing of the first locomotive order to service the project was also celebrated.
“The strength and depth of our experience in our core sectors and ability to work seamlessly and collaboratively across our international network meant we were able to provide Guinea a truly global legal team to help it complete this historic project which represents a new era for the development of the African mining sector,” commented Alhassane Barry, Dubai projects partner, and London corporate partner and global mining & commodities sector co-head Jan Mellmann.
US$15bn Simandou project closes in Guinea
With all the project’s core agreements requiring compliance with the highest ESG standards, Simandou also delivers a significant new source of high-grade iron ore that will strengthen the decarbonisation of the steel industry. (Image source: WFW)
