Rio Tinto said on Tuesday it has started loading the first iron ore at its giant Simandou project in Guinea, with the first shipment from the much-anticipated mine expected around November.
The milestone marks the start of commissioning for the project, in which Rio Tinto is investing $6.2 billion for its share.
The company had stockpiled around 1.5 million tonnes of ore at the mine by the end of the third quarter, according to its latest production report.
"Our growth projects are also progressing at pace - at Simandou, we started loading first ore at the mine for movement down the rail and to the port in October," Chief Executive Simon Trott said in a statement.
Rio Tinto said the complex commissioning process is expected to continue for several months, followed by a 30-month ramp-up to full capacity.
The update came as the miner reported a 6% rise in third-quarter iron ore shipments from its main Pilbara operations in Australia compared to the prior quarter, shipping 84.3 million tonnes.
The company maintained its full-year Pilbara shipment guidance at the lower end of its 323 to 338 million tonne range.
Rio Tinto also upgraded its full-year production guidance for bauxite, citing strong operational performance.
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