Rail Capacity Limits Richards Bay Expansion
Rail utility Spoornet would not have sufficient
capacity on the rail line to the
Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) by
2009 to meet the port’s expanded
export capacity, Business Day recently
reported. The shareholders of RBCT,
who include Anglo Coal, BHP Billiton
Energy Coal SA and Xstrata, announced
last year they had committed R1.1 billion
to expand the port’s capacity by 19
million metric tons (mt) to 91 million
mt of coal a year by 2009. Of the
expanded capacity, 4 million mt would
be set aside for emerging exporters and
9 million mt would be made available by
tender to applicants showing empowerment,
proven mining capacity, a bankable
feasibility study and an undertaking
that Spoornet could provide rail
capacity. Spoornet Senior Manager of
Business Development on the coal line,
Mac van der Merwe, said the capacity
on the export rail line was 78 million mt
of coal a year, for which Spoornet had
contracts with coal export companies.
Once the decision had been made,
Spoornet would be able to increase
capacity on the rail line by 3 million
mtpy, he said. That meant if it started
upgrading the line this year, by 2009 it
would still have only 84 million mt of
export capacity.