THE ECHO - Ferrostaal

32
projects & contracting
A GROWING MARKET IN MAURITANIA
IRON ORE PELLETS IN GREAT DEMAND
The West-African nation of Mauritania is rich in iron ore deposits. MAN Ferrostaal is investigating the feasibility of opening a new
iron ore mine on behalf of the state-owned iron ore company SNIM, Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière. The iron ore will be
processed into concentrate and then refined into high-quality iron ore pellets. Iron ore pellets are used in direct reduction plants
worldwide for the production of steel.
On behalf of the Mauritanian project
management company EL AOUJ S.A. MAN
Ferrostaal is conducting a feasibility study
examining the economic efficiency of a
new iron ore mine. The investment and
costing calculations mainly focus on iron
ore processing, an iron ore pellet plant,
materials handling, a power plant, electricity
supply, assembly, and infrastructure.
The new deposit is located close to existing
mines in the town of Zouérate. The iron ore
deposit is estimated to amount to about
650 million tons. With a mining capacity
of approximately 15 million tons per year,
it should be possible to produce 7 million
tons of iron ore pellets. The existing
railway line will be extended for the
transportation of the finished product to
the coast.
A FAMILIAR MARKET
Mauritania is a familiar market for MAN
Ferrostaal: business started 40 years ago,
when Ferrostaal supplied 142 heavy railway
cars for the transportation of iron ore
concentrate to the former French colony.
These were employed on the newly built
700 km stretch of railway between the
mine in Zouérate in the middle of the
Sahara and the sea port of Nouadhibou.
The good contact with the state-owned
iron ore company SNIM resulted among
other things in MAN Ferrostaal winning
another contract for an iron-ore processing
plant. MAN Ferrostaal supplied rolling
presses, conveyor systems, production
equipment, steelwork and electrical equipment,
and supervised the assembly and
commissioning of the iron-ore reduction
plant.
GREAT POTENTIAL
Industrial development in Mauritania offers
MAN Ferrostaal countless opportunities.
Projects currently in the pipeline include
diesel power plants, expansion of the ironore
port in Nouadhibou, repair and extension
of the existing SNIM railway line, construction
of a new stretch of railway to develop the
country’s southern corridor, development of
very high-quality phosphate ore production,
and modernisation and development of the
existing iron-ore production facility.
In addition, local oil production (75,000 barrels
per day), which began in February 2006,
and Mauritania’s very promising offshore
reserves of natural gas are opening up new
horizons for potential projects utilising gas.
Burkhard Willems