Communities appeal Simandou environmental permits in Guinea Supreme Court
Ghana-based non-profit organization Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA) said on Thursday that local communities have filed an administrative appeal with the Supreme Court of Guinea to contest the renewal of Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) for the massive Simandou iron ore project.
ACA said communities from the prefectures of Forécariah, Kérouané, Mamou, and Kindia are appealing the ECCs granted to Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) citing “inadequacies in environmental studies and environmental and social oversight, and lack of dissemination of key information.”
The project, which has already faced almost 30 years of setbacks, is led by two consortiums: Simfer, composed of Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) in partnership with Chalco, a Chinese aluminum producer, and WCS, which is composed of Hongqiao, China’s largest aluminum producer, in collaboration with Winning International Group, a Singapore-based entity. The Guinean government is also a member of each consortium.
“This action aims to challenge, demand the revision or annulment of permits deemed illegal, and denounce the numerous environmental and social violations associated with the project,” ACA said in a news release.
Located in the forested mountains of the West African nation, Simandou is reportedly the world’s biggest untapped high-grade iron ore deposit. Simandou covers a total area of 1,500 square kilometers where ore will be extracted, processed and then transported by rail to ports.
The project entails the exploitation of 8 billion tons in iron ore deposits, with an estimated annual output of 160 million tons. A $15 billion investment is planned in the mines, a port and 650-kilometer railway, of which 100 kilometers has been built so far.
Last month, Rio Tinto said the project, which is expected to start exports in two years, is set to contribute to the world’s decarbonization efforts.
But opponents say the rail line cuts through the country’s endangered species habitats, agricultural lands and protected areas before being exported from a new deepwater port located in an area they say is “key to the local fisheries industry”.
ACA said Despite WCS’s promises to minimize negative impacts on the environment and local communities, the project has caused “river pollution, soil erosion, the destruction of habitats for protected species such as chimpanzees, as well as cracks in homes caused by explosions.”
“Moreover, many inhabitants have lost their livelihoods, such as their fields and fishing nets, without receiving adequate compensation. The destruction of mangroves for the construction of port facilities has further exacerbated the negative impacts on local populations,” ACA said.
Set to be the world’s largest and highest-grade new iron ore mine, the project would add around 5% to global seaborne supply.