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Showing posts from February, 2026

Gara Djebilet: Understanding the Real Strategic Stakes Behind Algeria’s Iron Ore Megaproject

The Gara Djebilet iron ore project has, for some commentators, become a convenient symbol of what they portray as Algeria’s inability to execute large‑scale industrial undertakings. Their central argument is now familiar: the high phosphorus content of the ore would make the project economically unviable . This claim, repeated confidently, does not withstand either technical scrutiny or serious economic analysis. It reflects an outdated understanding of modern mining , rather than an informed assessment of the project’s industrial logic. Phosphorus: A Known and Anticipated Technical Challenge — Not a Structural Obstacle It is true that the ore at Gara Djebilet contains a higher phosphorus content than what is typically acceptable in standard steelmaking. However, in contemporary mining, such constraints are neither unusual nor prohibitive. Processes for phosphorus removal — advanced magnetic separation, direct reduction, selective roasting, thermochemical treatments — are well-estab...