The mining ledger: what Algeria really extracts — and what stays on paper

Fabienne Curchod — Genève, Suisse — 2026-10-12

Algeria's mining sector has, for two years now, had a calendar: a 950-kilometre iron line inaugurated on 1 February 2026 in the Tindouf desert, a phosphate deposit presented as the centrepiece of food security, a zinc and lead mine under construction at Béjaïa. With every announcement, a figure: 4 million tonnes, 10.5 million, 200,000 tonnes of concentrate.

Those figures have a source. But they do not say the same thing as production. This dossier does the counting, mine by mine, separating the two columns that are almost always confused: what is announced, and what comes out.

1. The iron rule: an announced capacity is not a tonne extracted

An announced capacity is a design target: the throughput of a plant that has not yet been built. A production is a quantity measured, on a date, by an operator. The two come neither from the same source nor from the same date.

The trap has a perfect example. The integrated phosphate project in the East is announced at 5.5 Mt/y of raw material and 3.2 Mt/y of concentrate; Oued Kebrit is designed for 2.4 Mt/y of fertiliser and 570,000 t/y of urea, i.e. 2.97 Mt/y of nominal capacity. AFRIQOM wrote, on 29 September 2026:

“The planned 2.97 Mt/y of fertiliser capacity should not be treated as available output in 2027.”

That is the house rule: adding up announced capacities and presenting the total as production is the easiest lie in economic journalism — and the one most quickly contradicted by a reader who looks at the port.

2. The table, mine by mine

Each line refers to its numbered source; the full list (media, date, URL) is at the end of the article.

3. How many produce today?

Four mines produce at this moment — two of them extracting raw material.

Gara Djebilet is the only one to bring ore out of the desert. The first cargo — 1,450 tonnes — left the mine for Béchar on 27 January 2026, and the deliveries reached the Tosyali complex at Bethioua (Oran) on 2 February 2026, after 950 km of the western mining line and then the Béchar–Oran line. Transport is by rail: convoys of 170 wagons carrying nearly 17,000 tonnes.

But the primary processing unit — 4 million tonnes per year, more than 85 % recovery — was announced as “operational by the end of April 2026”. By 16 June 2026, it had reached 95 % and had just completed its dry runs. Between the announcement and commercial commissioning there is a gap: we do not fill it in its place. The tonnage received at Oran is published nowhere: not found.

Djebel Onk is the only phosphate mine that genuinely extracts and exports: about 500,000 tonnes as of 9 May 2026, below the 570,000 tonnes of 2025 at the same period. El Ouenza and Boukhadra still supply Sider El Hadjar: documented capacities, 2026 production not found.

The others do not produce: Bled El Hadba and Oued Amizour are construction sites, Amesmessa and Tirek have been halted since 2013, rare earths and lithium are only at the exploration stage — the first blocked by a decision, the second without any published tonnage.

4. What is blocking the others

Transport. Without a line, the ore stays at the bottom. The Gara Djebilet–Tindouf–Béchar line was delivered in 20 months. For phosphate, as of 9 September 2026, 174 km out of 422 had been laid: 127 km remained.

Water. On 9 October 2026, the Minister of Water Resources ordered the completion of connections before the end of 2026: 157 km of pipelines and 7 pumping stations for Bled El Hadba, 78 km and one 1,200-litre-per-second station for Oued Kebrit.

The contract. On 12 August 2026, Sonatrach signed two EPC contracts — Saipem for Bled El Hadba and Oued Kebrit, CHEC for the port of Annaba. But Saipem describes its instrument as a “limited notice to proceed” worth about 500 million euros: AFRIQOM notes that no public announcement has confirmed the finalisation of the full contract. The Chinese amount was not disclosed.

Land and the partner. At Oued Amizour, Sonarem was still waiting, in October 2025, for “the legal settlement of the land belonging to the populations around the mine”: the works were only launched in March 2026. For gold, everything depends on a call for partners — 51 % Sonarem / 49 % — and no partner is announced.

And a political decision, owned. On 9 February 2025, the Council of Ministers excluded, “for the time being”, the extraction of certain rare earths: a mine can be blocked by a decree.

5. Phosphate: Morocco first, Algeria second

One fact, one source, one date. The USGS, in its Mineral Commodity Summaries of February 2026, puts world reserves of phosphate rock at 73 billion tonnes: Morocco holds 50 billion, or about two thirds, and Algeria 2.2 billion. In production, the gap is of the same order: 36 million tonnes for Morocco against 2 million for Algeria in 2025.

We write it without evasion: it is Morocco that holds the majority of the world's phosphate reserves, not Algeria. A newspaper that inflates one reserve exposes all its other figures at once.

Algeria's argument is not the size of the deposit: phosphate only becomes fertiliser with ammonia, and ammonia comes from gas. Algeria has the gas: a cost advantage documented — not a contract. A buyer, though, is documented — an agreement of up to 1 million tonnes per year with Pupuk Indonesia, signed in January 2026. On the other hand, no document shows that India or Brazil would turn to Algeria: we do not write it.

6. Our line: progress, not the promise

We report progress: what is dated, measured, verifiable on the ground. We do not add up announced capacities. When a project is late, we say so — because an Algerian reader can see, from his window, whether the road is open.

Today's tally: four mines produce, two of them raw ore; one processing unit awaits its commercial commissioning; one construction site is being built; gold is halted; rare earths sleep by order; lithium is only an exploration programme. The rest is a calendar — and a calendar is not a cargo.

We judge no person, and we attack neither a people nor a religion.

Fabienne Curchod — Genève, Suisse

📚 COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY (rule no. 19)

1. USGS — Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, “Phosphate Rock”, February 2026 — world reserves: Morocco 50,000,000 kt, Algeria 2,200,000 kt, world total 73,000,000 kt; estimated 2025 production: Morocco 36,000 kt, Algeria 2,000 kt — https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-phosphate.pdf

2. Radio Algérienne (fr), « Mine de fer de Gara Djebilet : la première unité de traitement du minerai opérationnelle en avril 2026 », 10 October 2025 — interview of Sonarem CEO Belkacem Soltani with APS: primary unit of 4 Mt/y and recovery >85 %; Feraal-Tosyali concentrate unit (4 Mt/y, expansion to 10 Mt/y by 2032); Oued Amizour (34 Mt recoverable, 170,000 t of zinc + 30,000 t of lead); dolomite, calcium carbonate, baryte and diatomite plants; lithium exploration; kaolin — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/fr/node/72149

3. Al24 News (en), “Algeria: Initial Shipment of Iron Ore From Gara Djebilet Mine Heads to Bechar”, 28 January 2026 — first cargo of 1,450 tonnes, transported on Tuesday 27 January 2026 to Béchar, then on to Tosyali (Bethioua) — https://al24news.dz/en/algeria-initial-shipment-of-iron-ore-from-gara-djebilet-mine-heads-to-bechar/

4. Prime Minister's Office (ar), « الوزير الأول يشرف على مراسم وصول وتفريغ أولى شحنات خام الحديد المستخرجة من منجم غارا جبيلات », 2 February 2026 — arrival and unloading of the first cargoes at Tosyali, Monday 2 February 2026 — https://www.premier-ministre.gov.dz/ar/post/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84-%D9%8A%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%81-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85-%D9%88%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%84-%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%BA-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B4%D8%AD%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%85-%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-2

5. Radio Algérienne (en), “Oran: Prime Minister Oversees Arrival and Unloading of First Iron Ore Shipments from Gara Djebilet”, page dated 2 March 2026 — western mining line of 950 km + Béchar–Oran line, nearly 2,000 km; recipient: Tosyali; visit to the pelletising, smelting and rolling units — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/78957 — and “Under President's Directive, Prime Minister Oversees Arrival of First Shipments…”, same page dated 2 March 2026 — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/78948

6. Le Jeune Indépendant (en), “Gara Djebilet Iron Ore Processing Facility: Preliminary Runs Successfully Completed”, 16 June 2026 — 95 % completion, successful dry runs, operation by FERAAL, visit by Secretary of State Karima Bakir Tafer — https://www.jeune-independant.net/en/2026/06/16/gara-djebilet-iron-ore-processing-facility-preliminary-runs-successfully-completed/

7. Le Jeune Indépendant (en), “Gara Djebilet Mine Update on Project Progression”, 19 June 2026 — 40,000 ha (Gara West 15,000, Centre 18,000, East 7,000); 8 Mt/y → 50 Mt/y by 2040; 20 Mt to Toumiat (4 Mt of concentrate + 6 Mt of pellets); 30 Mt to Harchaya; 25 Mt to Bethioua; convoys of 170 wagons ≈ 17,000 t, loading ~90 min; 200 MW photovoltaic plant by Sonelgaz — https://www.jeune-independant.net/en/2026/06/19/gara-djebilet-mine-update-on-project-progression/

8. Radio Algérienne (ar), « الذكرى الـ60 لتأميم قطاع المناجم », 5 May 2026 — Gara Djebilet line inaugurated on 1 February 2026, built in 20 months; Tala Hamza-Amizour zinc-lead launched (170,000 t of zinc + 30,000 t of lead, ~780 direct jobs); Bled El Hadba phosphate: export expected “no later than March 2027”; 10 Mt/y of fertiliser; 450 km line; port of Annaba at the end of 2026 — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/ar/node/85440

9. La Sentinelle, « Somiphos : 500 000 tonnes de phosphate produits depuis le début de l'année », 9 May 2026 — Djebel Onk (Bir El Ater, Tébessa): ~500,000 t exported (570,000 t in 2025 at the same period), target >1.5 Mt by the end of 2026, 60 % by rail, rail constraints and imported parts, Tébessa–Annaba doubling, ~5,700 t/day — https://lasentinelle.dz/index.php/2026/05/09/somiphos-500-000-tonnes-de-phosphate-produits-depuis-le-debut-de-lannee/

10. Anadolu Agency (ar), « الجزائر.. سوناطراك توقع عقدين مع إيطاليا والصين لمشروع فوسفات ضخم », 12 August 2026 — two EPC contracts: Saipem for Bled El Hadba and Oued Kebrit, CHEC for the port facilities of Annaba; 5.5 Mt/y of raw, 3.2 Mt/y of concentrate; 2.4 Mt/y of phosphate fertiliser + 570,000 t/y of urea; €500 M for Saipem, Chinese amount not disclosed — https://www.aa.com.tr/ar/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d9%88%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a9/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%a6%d8%b1-%d8%b3%d9%88%d9%86%d8%a7%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%83-%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d8%b9%d9%82%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86-%d9%85%d8%b9-%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%8a%d9%86-%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%b9-%d9%81%d9%88%d8%b3%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%b6%d8%ae%d9%85/4025590

11. Saipem (press release), “Saipem has signed a Limited Notice to Proceed with Sonatrach for Phase 1 of the Projet Phosphates Intégré in Algeria”, 12 August 2026 — instrument described as a limited notice to proceed of about €500 M — https://www.saipem.com/en/media/press-releases/2026-08-12/saipem-has-signed-limited-notice-proceed-sonatrach-phase-1-projet

12. AFRIQOM (Africa Fertilizer Insight), “Algeria phosphate project update, 2027 supply timing remains optimistic”, 29 September 2026 — ceremonies of 23–24 September 2026; nominal fertiliser capacity of 2.97 Mt/y; targets Q1 2027 (concentrate) and Q4 2027 (fertiliser); 174 km out of 422 of the eastern mining line completed, 127 km remaining (Annaba–Bouchegouf 54 km, Tébessa–Tanoukla 43 km, Drea–Oued Kebrit 30 km); the Q4 2027 target is not supported by public evidence; Saipem's LNTP is not confirmed as a full EPC; ~$7 bn (2022) is not a verified Phase 1 budget — https://www.afriqom.com/insights/algeria%E2%80%99s-phosphate-and-fertiliser-project-faces-ambitious-2027-production-targets

13. World Fertilizer / Argus Media, “Algeria phosphate port sees accelerated expansion works”, 15 July 2026 — deep-water quay for ships up to 80,000 t, delivery targeted for Q1 2027; Somiphos currently loading up to 55,000 t; Bled El Hadba “already in operation and building up stocks” (Argus); expansion of 1 Mt/y at Djebel Onk expected by July 2027; Somiphos target of 1.8 Mt for 2026; agreement of up to 1 Mt/y with Pupuk Indonesia, signed in January 2026 — https://www.worldfertilizer.com/phosphates/15072026/algeria-phosphate-port-sees-accelerated-expansion-works/

14. Radio Algérienne (en), “Integrated Phosphate Project: Imperative to Complete Industrial Water Connection Works before End of 2026”, 9 October 2026 — 157 km of pipelines and 7 pumping stations (170 l/s) for Bled El Hadba; 78 km and one 1,200 l/s station, a 10,000 m³ reservoir and eight boreholes up to 800 m for Oued Kebrit — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/94108

15. Radio Algérienne (en), “Fulfilling the Commitments of the President of the Republic: Launch of the Amizour-Tala Hamza Mine Works in Bejaia”, 17 March 2026 — launch of the works by Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb, on behalf of President Tebboune — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/81713

16. Radio Algérienne (en), “Bejaia Zinc and Lead Mine: A Strategic Project with Certain Economic and Developmental Impact”, 18 March 2026 — geological reserves of 53 Mt of which 34 Mt recoverable; 2 Mt/y of raw → 200,000 t/y of concentrate (170,000 t zinc + 30,000 t lead); >700 direct jobs, ~4,000 indirect — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/81761

17. Algérie Éco, « Sonarem : Relance des mines d'or de “Tirek” et “Amesmessa” à Tamanrasset en 2026 », 8 October 2025 — 140,800 ha, halted in 2013, call for expressions of interest on 1 October 2025, company 51 % Sonarem / 49 % partner, 7 t extracted between 2001 and 2013 (60 m pit), deposit at ~400 m, preliminary reserves ~60 t (>$4 bn), >400 kg produced between 2022 and the end of September, 187 micro-enterprises, two new mines (Aïn Abegui, Tekouiat) — https://algerie-eco.com/2025/10/08/sonarem-relance-des-mines-dor-de-tirek-et-amesmessa-a-tamanrasset-en-2026/

18. Algérie Éco, « L'Algérie réserve des terres rares aux générations futures », 9 February 2025 — decision of the Council of Ministers to exclude, “for the time being”, the extraction of certain rare earths — https://algerie-eco.com/2025/02/09/lalgerie-reserve-des-terres-aux-generations-futures/

19. TSA (Tout sur l'Algérie), « Algérie : des terres rares réservées aux générations futures », 9 February 2025 — https://www.tsa-algerie.com/algerie-des-terres-rares-reservees-aux-generations-futures/

20. Ministry of Energy and Renewable Energies (official statement), coordination meeting on the lithium sector, 6 November 2025 — field studies in Tamanrasset and Aïn Guezzam with the Chinese group Ganfeng Lithium; ORGM/Sonarem–Prof. Karim Zaghib memorandum; LFP active-material pilot projects — https://www.energy.gov.dz/en/1913/coordination-and-follow-up-meeting-between-the-ministries-of-hydrocarbons-and-mines-and-energy-and-renewable-energies-on-developing-algerias-lithium-sector

21. Global Energy Monitor, MFE Ouenza Mine — nominal capacity 1,200,000 t/y, total resource 80,300,000 t, annual production “unknown”; page updated on 10 October 2026 — https://www.gem.wiki/MFE_Ouenza_Mine

22. Global Energy Monitor, MFE Boukhdra Mine — nominal capacity 525,000 t/y, total resource 47,100,000 t, annual production “unknown”; page updated on 10 October 2026 — https://www.gem.wiki/MFE_Boukhdra_Mine

23. La Voie d'Algérie, « Le président de la République préside une réunion consacrée au secteur des mines et de l'acier » (October 2026) — first batch of Tosyali steel by blending (local + imported ore) in Q1 2026; El Milia/Bellara phase 2 → 4 Mt/y; Bled El Hadba announced in operation at the end of December 2026; convoys of more than 2,400 t; import savings >$2 bn/y by 2027 — https://lavoiedalgerie.dz/le-president-de-la-republique-preside-une-reunion-consacree-au-secteur-des-mines-et-de-lacier/2026/28/00/

24. Radio Algérienne (en), “Mines: Algeria Establishes a Qualitative Shift in Its Developmental Path Through a Real Mining Renaissance”, 23 March 2026 — Gara Djebilet 3.5 bn t; Amizour 53 Mt of geological reserves; phosphate from 2.5 to 10.5 Mt/y; 450 km of line, 150 to 175 km remaining; phosphate loading at Annaba between the end of 2026 and the end of the first half of 2027 — https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/82027

25. Afrik.com, « Maghreb : l'Algérie mise sur ses mines pour séduire Washington » (2026) — recoverable phosphate reserves estimated at 840 Mt; ramp-up of the processing units from 1 Mt in 2026 to 8 Mt in 2030 (Karima Bakir Tafer); law No. 25-12 of 3 August 2025 (end of the 49/51 rule, up to 80 % foreign capital, single 30-year permit); visit by Christopher Landau in April 2026, meeting of 7 June 2026; OCP ≈ 70 % of world reserves; no quantified agreement published with Washington — https://www.afrik.com/maghreb-l-algerie-mise-sur-ses-mines-pour-seduire-washington

⚠️ Published reservations.

(1) Date discrepancy on the arrival of the ore at Oran. The Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Public Works give Monday 2 February 2026; the Radio Algérienne page carrying the same account is dated 2 March 2026. We publish the official date (2 February 2026) and flag the discrepancy instead of settling it.

(2) Tonnage received at Oran: not found. No source consulted publishes the quantity unloaded at Bethioua. Only the first cargo to Béchar is quantified (1,450 t, Al24 News/APS, 28/01/2026).

(3) Commercial commissioning of the Gara Djebilet primary processing unit: not established. Announced as “operational by the end of April 2026”, it stood at 95 % and in dry runs on 16 June 2026. We have found no confirmation of commercial commissioning.

(4) 2026 production of El Ouenza and Boukhadra: not found. Global Energy Monitor gives only nominal capacities, and its production table shows “unknown” for 2022-2026.

(5) Amount of the Chinese contract (CHEC): not disclosed. The announcement of 12 August 2026 does not give it.

(6) Saipem's “€500 M” is not a finalised contract: it is a limited notice to proceed. We say so in the article.

(7) The “~$7 bn” figure for the phosphate project (2022) is not a verified Phase 1 budget (AFRIQOM, 29/09/2026): we do not repeat it.

(8) The estimate “up to 20 % of world rare-earth reserves” circulates in the press but is unverified: we do not repeat it, and we state it in the table.

(9) No official tonnage of lithium reserves is published: we write “exploration” and never “reserves”.

(10) The claim that “India and Brazil are turning to Algeria” is documented by no piece of evidence: we do not write it. The documented agreement is the one with Pupuk Indonesia (up to 1 Mt/y, January 2026).

(11) Commissioning of the dolomite, calcium carbonate, baryte and diatomite plants: unconfirmed by the sources consulted, which give only an announcement (“before the end of 2025”).

(12) Nature of the sources. We have not visited a single mining site. All the figures in this dossier come from public sources, opened one by one, and named with their date and URL.

(13) The table will have to be re-verified at any republication: the announced milestones (the end of December 2026, Q1 2027, Q4 2027, March 2027) are moving.