Mozambique is effectively adding another coal export gateway to its existing infrastructure through the development of the port of Macuse around 250 kilometres north of Beira and northeast of the river port of Quelimane. The government has awarded a US$3-billion contract to Bangkokbased Italian-Thai Development to construct the rail line from Tete province to Macuse in Mozambique’s Zambezia province. The contract includes the upgrading of the port to handle 25 million tons of cargo a year. This development is in addition to the rail link from Tete through Malawi to Nacala. The Tete-Nacala line is being paid for by Brazilian miner Vale, which is also involved in the upgrade of the Nacala port. Having an alternative to the south will ensure that the other mines in the Tete region are not dependent on Vale.
