Luxembourg-headquartered steelmaker ArcelorMittal has inaugurated its new iron ore concentrator in Liberia, ahead of the formal commissioning.
The new state-of-the-art concentrator with a 20 million mt capacity is one of the largest iron ore beneficiation plants in Africa and the central component of ArcelorMittal’s $1.8 billion expansion project in Liberia, bringing ArcelorMittal’s total investment in the country to date to approximately $3 billion. The company said its production will increase from the current level of 5 million mt of iron ore to 20 million mt, alongside a significant improvement in product quality to higher-grade, higher-value iron ore.
The expansion project also involved investment in accompanying infrastructure assets. The railway from Tokadeh to Buchanan is being upgraded, while a new pier has been added at the port of Buchanan, along with associated material handling infrastructure.
ArcelorMittal also plans to further expand capacity at its Liberian mining operations, with plans under development for a phased increase to 30 million mt of annual production capacity, and options being studied to produce DRI quality concentrate. The current expansion project has been undertaken with future expansion in mind, with upgrades to the railway already enabling it to transport 30 million mt of iron ore annually.