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The Secretary of State to the Minister of Energy, in charge of the mines, Karima Tafer, chaired a follow-up meeting devoted to the operating project of the zinc-plomb mine of Amizour, in Tala Hamza, in the wilaya of Béjaïa. This project, considered among the most important in the world in these minerals, aims to reduce the import bill, to go towards export and generate currency revenues, in addition to contributing to the diversification of the Algerian economy.
It is a project qualified as a strategic, especially since it will also strengthen local development. During this meeting, Karima Tafer approached the progress of the work as well as the expected fallout, in particular the reduction of the import bill and the increase in foreign exchange revenues, the ministry said in a press release made public this Friday.
The Secretary of State to the Minister of Energy also investigated the situation of residents during discussions with the participants in the meeting held in Béjaïa, in the presence of the Wali Kamel Eddine Kerbouche, institutional actors and representatives of the local residents concerned, as well as the general director of the Algerian-Australian company, Western Mediterranean Zinc (WMZ) in charge of the operation of the project. Representatives of the inhabitants concerned by the expropriation procedures were also present, said the same source.
This is how the meeting allowed the representatives of civil society to express their concerns, mainly those linked to compensation within the framework of public utility. Ms. Tafer has reaffirmed the commitment of public authorities to “guarantee the rights of citizens and ensure compensations in accordance with the law”, while taking into account the proposals made by the inhabitants.
Accelerate compensation procedures
The wali of Béjaïa, for its part, gave instructions to the services concerned, in particular the Treasury, the Directorate of Regulation and General Affairs, as well as the areas, in order to accelerate the compensation procedures.
In this regard, the emphasis has been focused on the implementation of rigorous monitoring mechanisms to guarantee the realization of the project within the time limit, in a climate of transparency and equity. This approach is part of the authorities’ desire to advance structuring projects at the service of sustainable development and the mining industry in Algeria.
Amizour’s zinc and lead mine project represents one of the twelve largest mines in the world, with a reserve of more than 24 million tonnes per year. The deposit “will be exploited according to clean and advanced technologies, thus strengthening the position of Algeria as a key director in the world zinc and lead market”, according to the National Society for Minor Research and Operations (Sonarem).
Since 2024, the WMZ company in charge of the exploitation of the said project has embarked on the realization of the basic infrastructure as the first step. An agreement was signed between WMZ and the Chinese company Sinosteel for the creation of an underground mine at the level of the lead and zinc deposit in Tala Hamza, for a global investment of $ 471 million. The exploitation of this mine, considered one of the largest in the world, will allow a production of 2 million tonnes per year, including 170,000 tonnes of zinc and 30,000 tonnes of lead.
The deposit is lasting 19 years, the first 3 years of which will be devoted to the installation of the infrastructure necessary for the operation of the mine and the ore processing unit as well as its transformation into a powder concentrate intended for use on the national market or export.
In this sense, from 2026, the date of receipt of the structuring project, Algeria will take the first step in the international zinc market, an essential ore in industry 5.0 which is growing in growth for such a rare product on the international scene. The importance of this structuring project will be visible in “the valuation of national mining resources and its expected contribution to the diversification of the national economy, as well as its positive impacts on the creation of jobs”.