Jamba - The first phase of construction work on the raw iron processing plant for the Cassinga steel project, in the municipality of Jamba, Huíla province, will start soon, in an investment by the Turkish company Tosyali Angola, the vice-president of Tosyali Angola, Henriques Kiaco, revealed on Monday.
Henriques Kiaco who was speaking to Rádio Huíla as part of an evaluation visit to the province, said that once completed, the plant will have the capacity to process 1.7 million tons of iron per year, which will be transported through the Moçâmedes Railway (CFM) to the Sacomar mining terminal in Namibe province, from where it will be shipped abroad.
Without revealing the investment made, he emphasized that the work would begin this year, without mentioning the exact date, adding that 4,000 jobs would be created in the first phase, a figure that would double when the operating phase began.
He informed that the company are now working in the creation of the conditions to start building the ore treatment centre, which is the washing plant, a place to process the useful iron and what is rejected, emphasizing that the project is extremely important, as it will help accelerate the national economy.
Prior to this Turkish investment, the project has experienced advances and setbacks, since experimental exploration work had begun in 2013, through the Angola Exploration Mining Resources (AEMR) company, due to financial difficulties.
The Cassinga project, part of the Cateruca project in the same region, has a potential of 15 million tonnes of iron.
As part of the project, various infrastructures have been planned that could boost development in the area, from the electricity sector to transport, such as the Moçâmedes railway and the Namibe commercial port.
The project is located in the province of Huíla. Its mines will be operated by the Turkish company Tosyali, but until 2020 it was in the hands of the then Angolan company Ferrangol.
The main deposits are in Jamba, more precisely in the areas of Cassinga Norte, Tchamutete and Cassinga Sul, and there are also mines in Cateruca.
The municipality of Jamba, powerful in iron and gold, has an area of 12,000 square kilometers and 142,371 inhabitants. It borders Chipindo to the north, Cuvango municipality to the east, Matala and Chicomba to the west and Cuvelai (Cunene) to the south. JT/MS/MRA/DOJ
