Morocco’s JESA to Modernize Mauritania’s Guelb 1 Plant

Rabat – Morocco’s JESA Group has announced its partnership with the National Industrial and Mining Company of Mauritania (SNIM) to modernize the Guelb 1 plant in Zouerate, northern Mauritania.

The Usine Guelb 1 plant was launched in 1984, to grind and process iron ore and other minerals. The plant has a handling capacity of approximately 3,500 tonnes per hour. Following over 30 years of service, SNIM has identified the necessity to “rehabilitate and modernize” the plant, reads a JESA press release.

SNIM has chosen JESA, one of the largest engineering and solutions-provider groups in Morocco, to fulfil the role of Project Management Consultancy as part of a two-year contract between the two companies. JESA’s mission will be to support “SNIM on Contractors bid evaluation, technical review of detail engineering as well as construction and commissioning of the project.”

Last year the Senegalese government awarded JESA the mission of Consultant Program Management and Environmental and Social Management. The Moroccan engineering giant partnered with international engineering and environmental consulting firm Antea Group to jointly contribute their engineering, environmental, and social expertise toward modernizing Senegal’s electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Morocco and its various enterprises — both governmental and private — have gained a certain level of prestige in Africa, with many governments turning to Rabat for its expertise.

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita has made significant progress to strengthen South-South cooperation with countries such as Nigeria and Djibouti. The country hopes to promote mutual investment, share best practices on renewable energy, and develop cooperation in the fertilizer sector.

Meanwhile, groups such as JESA have supported efforts to improve renewable energy systems and build up infrastructure across Africa. Besides projects in Morocco, Senegal, and now Mauritania, JESA also has headquarters in Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Benin, and the US.

For its part, SNIM started its mining activity in 1961 in the Tiris Zemmour region in Mauritania. Citing significant reserves of magnetite in the Guelb Rhien area, the Mauritanian giant started its Usine Guelb 1 plant in 1984, before launching the additional Usine Guelb 2 plant in 2015.