Rio Tinto Limited
(ASX:RIO) says it would be interested in blocks one and two of Guinea's giant Simandou iron ore deposit if they were up for sale.
CEO Sam Walsh told media, the miner knows there is iron ore there and that would be attractive to Rio, depending on how it was offered.
Rio Tinto secured a concession to develop the entire Simandou deposit in 2006 from Guinea's government, but the Guinean government took half of that two years later.
The remaining blocks--one and two--went to privately owned BSG Resources Ltd., which then partnered with Vale to develop them.
Mr Walsh says if the blocks were to become available, the Guinean government would most likely offer them via a tender process.
