OPIS Foundation

Steel

Centuries before the technology developed in Europe in the 19^th century, people in Africa were producing medium-carbon steel in preheated, forced-draft furnaces. To this day, Africa is home to deposits of some of the highest quality ore, some of which are in Sierra Leone.

Iron mining in Sierra Leone is tied up with the Marampa mine which operated between 1924 and 1975. At the time of its closing the mine was producing 2.5 million metric tons a year. Efforts to reopen the mine have been frustrated by the low price of steel and the civil war in the country. With the ending of hostilities and the recent steady rise there has been increased interest in reopening the mine and developing further deposits. What will be needed in order for the people of Sierra Leone to reap the full benefits of their resources are the means to produce end product, name a state of the art steel plant. 

Opis Foundation is partnering with Alteria Mining and the government of Sierra Leone to site a state of the art steel plant such as those found in Europe which will combine the highest level of productivity with the highest environmental standards. During the construction phase this project should create fifteen to twenty five thousand jobs and twenty five hundred to five thousand jobs when it is fully operational. Heavy plate, steel pipe and rebar will be available for use in construction projects in Sierra Leone and in neighboring countries.

The plant built will be a state of the art facility for producing both carbon steel and stainless steel end product, including but not limited to large structural sections heavy plate, steel pipe, and rebar.  It will include two blast furnaces for the production of iron from iron ore, two basic oxygen furnaces in which molten iron will be made into steel, two continuous slab casting machines in which molten steel will be made into semifinished billets and slabs, a hot strip mill for products such as of sheet metal and steel pipes, a cold rolling complex for products such as coil, a hot-dip galvanization complex for such products as steel girders and a stainless steel melt shop.

Needless to say, the plant will also include a coking plant, a water treatment station, and warehouses for raw material and finished product.  Considerable investment will be made in necessary infrastructure support, which will include securing reliable fuel and power sources for the plant as well any electricity transmission facilities necessary. Opis Foundation's participation will ensure that the highest standard of health safety and environmental protection will be maintain over the life of this initiative and that the benefit to the population of Sierra Leone is maximized.

Artist conception of the layout of a steel plant similar in size and scope to the one planned in Sierra Leone.