According to China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC), on December 9 its subsidiary Wuhan Surveying-Geotechnical Research Institute Co. (WSGRI) started detailed geological exploration work on the Liberian iron ore mine project of Chinese steel producer Wuhan Iron and Steel Company (WISCO).
WSGRI is expected to complete the detailed geological exploration work before the Chinese New Year holiday in late January. Production operations at the iron ore mine in Liberia are expected to start in 2012.
The mine in question, located 80 kilometers northeast of Monrovia the capital of Liberia, has easy access to port via railways. The total proven reserves of the mine amount to around 1.3 billion mt with an average iron content of approximately 35-36 percent. In addition, the prospective reserves of the mine total 2.7 billion mt.