BWCS, the joint venture of Baowu Resources and Winning Consortium Holdings on Simandou, says it completed the CV3 conveyor tunnel on 29 September 2026. The company now targets feeding its processing plant from the CS mining zone by the end of November 2026, according to a BWCS release published by Guinéenews as sponsored content on 1 October.
What BWCS reports
The CV3 tunnel is 1,936 metres long. It will carry a long-distance belt conveyor taking ore directly from the CS mining zone to the processing plant, according to BWCS.
The company describes difficult ground. Nearly half of the route crosses class V terrain, the lowest stability rating, made up mainly of highly weathered phyllites, fine sandstones and siltstones. The last 100 metres combined heavy groundwater, rock that breaks down on contact with water and four successive fault zones.
BWCS says the work took 27 months, advancing in short passes with immediate support. It reports more than 10,000 metres of pre-support pipes, over 200 steel arches, more than 3,000 m³ of sprayed concrete, and over 13,000 tonnes of cement and 350 tonnes of sodium silicate injected to stabilise the rock and control water inflows.
Why the tunnel matters for the ramp-up
CV3 is part of the mine’s second processing line. BWCS says the tunnel had to be completed before that line could be fed and before the mine’s overall ramp-up could continue. Conveyor installation can now begin.
The company describes two lines at different stages. According to BWCS, the first line is running stably while construction of the second is accelerating. Production began on 11 November 2025, when the first ore vessel left.
The operator’s ownership has also changed. Reuters reported that Baowu Resources raised its stake in Winning Consortium Simandou from 49% to 51%, taking control of the operator of blocks 1 and 2. Both the parent company and the Guinean subsidiary were renamed Baowu Winning Consortium Simandou, with completion set for 30 January 2026. Blocks 1 and 2 share rail and port infrastructure with Rio Tinto’s Simfer, and the two mining hubs can ship up to 120 million tonnes a year combined.
For Guinea, the timing of BWCS’s second line affects how quickly Simandou volumes approach that ceiling, and with them the state revenue tied to exports.
What the release does not say
The announcement gives engineering detail but no output figures. It does not state the second line’s capacity, current production or shipment volumes, or the project’s cost to date.
The source also needs to be read for what it is. Guinéenews published the text as sponsored content and states that it does not commit the outlet. As of 2 October 2026, TMG found no independent confirmation from Baowu, Winning, the Ministry of Mines or other media.
Open questions for verification:
-
What throughput will the second line add, and when does BWCS expect it to reach nameplate capacity?
-
How much ore have blocks 1 and 2 shipped since November 2025?
-
Does the end-November target cover first feed only, or stable operation of the CV3 conveyor?
What to watch
The first test is the end-November 2026 target for feeding the processing plant from the CS zone. Whether BWCS meets it, and whether it reports volumes when it does, will show if the second line is moving from construction to output.
The second test is disclosure. Shipment data from Baowu, port statistics or Guinean authorities would allow the ramp-up to be measured with figures. For Guinea, those volumes drive the mining revenue that Simandou 2040 depends on.