The Ivanhoe Atlantic project would supply iron ore to America and its allies but faces opposition in West Africa — and Washington.
Simandou iron ore project in southeastern Guinea. Getty
David Pilling and Leslie Hook
About 160 kilometres from Simandou, a Rio Tinto iron ore mine in Guinea whose $US23 billion ($35 billion) price tag makes it the world’s biggest mining project, lies another reserve of even higher quality: Kon Kweni, a deposit owned by US company Ivanhoe Atlantic in the forested Nimba mountains of south-east Guinea.
Ivanhoe Atlantic, founded by American-Canadian mining billionaire Robert Friedland, has positioned its mine and rail project as a Donald Trump-endorsed alternative to China-led Simandou, pledging to deliver high-grade iron ore into Western supply chains.
