  Mbalam iron ore deposit | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | outside Mbalam |
| Region | East Region |
| Country | Cameroon |
| Coordinates | 2°13′N13°53′E / 2.22°N 13.89°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Iron ore |
| Owner | |
| Company | Disputed |
The Mbalam mine refers to a series of ongoing attempts to mine iron ore from the Mbalam iron ore deposit in Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo. [1]
The Mbalam deposit is located primarily in south-east Cameroon in the East Region, along its southern border with the Republic of the Congo. [1] It also extends into the Congo, where it connects to the Nabeba and Ibanga deposits. [2] The deposit is variously estimated to contain 2.5 billion tonnes (2.5 trillion kg; 5.5 trillion lb) of ore at 40% iron composition, [3] or 800 million tonnes (800 billion kg; 1.8 trillion lb) with 62% iron composition. [4] The deposit was initially identified by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the 1970s and 1980s. [1] Mining proposals in the 2010s aimed for 35-40 million tonnes of annual production from the deposit. [2] : 1 [5]
Attempts to perform large-scale mining on the Mbalam deposit date back to at least 2005, but plans for the mines have been consistently delayed.
In 2005, Australia's Sundance Resources incorporated a subsidary company, Cam Iron SA, to begin mining. [1] Sundance/Cam Iron's exploratory drilling began in 2007. [4]
Nothing more than installation and exploratory work had begun by the mid-2010s, according to Sundance reports and a UNDP grant application. [2] [6] : 13 Sundance completed its Definitive Feasibility Study on the first phase of its mining plans in 2011. [7] In 2014, production was expected to start in 2017. [4]
However, Sundance encountered difficulties in finding investors. They were granted at least two extensions to secure additional funding, in July 2017 and early 2018. [8] By 2021, both Cameroon and the Congo had revoked its mining rights to the deposit. Sundance and the two countries have a pending case before the International Court of Arbitration, with an expected resolution no sooner than 2026 for the Cameroonian component. [9]
In December 2022, Cameroonian President Paul Biya announced the "start of major mining projects", and a joint Cameroonian-Congolese meeting in February 2023 confirmed that work on the joint Mbalam-Nabeba mining project was moving forward. [10] In 2024, Sangha Mining, a Chinese mining company, started a mining project on the deposit. Iron production is supposed to begin in December 2025. [11]