Minister of Energy and Mines, Mr. Mohamed Arkab announced yesterday, Saturday, in Tindouf that the construction of the railway line extending over a distance of 1,000 km to transport iron ore from Ghar Djebilat (Tindouf) to Bechar will be launched “during the first quarter of 2023”.
Mr. Arkab indicated that “the book of specifications for this project is under study by a joint sectoral technical committee made up of several ministries, namely energy, mines, transport and public works.”
The minister’s statement came on the sidelines of his working and inspection visit to the province of Tindouf, during which he oversaw the launch of the exploitation phase of the iron mine in Ghar Djebilat.
The minister pointed out that “the first phase (2022-2025) of exploiting this mine will be marked by a production of 2 to 3 million tons / year,” adding that iron ore will be transported by land to Bechar, where it will be transformed and valued by national operators who expressed their desire to invest in this field, pending the completion of the Bechar-Ghar Djebilat railway line.
As soon as the railway is completed, the second phase will be launched, which will allow to ensure the optimal exploitation of the mine, through a production of 40 to 50 million tons / year.
The exploitation of the Ghar Djebilat mine was launched in the presence of the governor of Tindouf and the local authorities, as well as the ministry’s executives and many managers of the sector’s institutions.
In addition to his visit to the workshop of the new headquarters of the Directorate of Electricity and Gas Distribution, Mr. Arkab attended a presentation on the expansion of the electrical network from 30 to 60 kilovolts, as well as the traditional exploitation of gold.
In this regard, he explained that the project to expand the electrical network to 60 kilovolts will allow “to meet to industrial needs of electricity and support the launch of manufacturing activity in this state.”
In this regard, he confirmed that the company in charge of completing the electrical network with a capacity of 60 kilovolts has been appointed, while Sonelgaz has started the completion of some substations.
