Transnet National Ports
Authority (TNPA) said it has
started investigating options
on how a second coal terminal
would be built at the Richards
Bay port next to the existing
90-million-tpy Richards Bay
Coal Terminal (RBCT).
In a separate development,
a new joint venture between
Grindrod and investment
group RBT Resources will
see a R2-billion investment
in the Navitrade terminal at
Richards Bay to expand coal
export capacity, specifically
with the black economic
empowerment and
junior mining
companies in
mind.
The
existing
capacity of
the RBCT is
largely used
by the large coal companies,
like GlencoreXstrata, Exxaro
and Anglo American, while
smaller coal producers find it
hard to get capacity allocations
for their product at
the port.
TNPA is
aiming
its
development plans also
at widening the capacity
allocations at the port terminal
to accommodate smaller
mining companies. At the
start of the year, the company
indicated that it planned to
spend more than R30 billion
between 2015 and 2020 on
two major expansion projects
at Richards Bay, including the
development of a new open
access coal terminal.
The parastatal plans to
increase the terminal’s
capacity to 110 million tpy.
However, observers note
that RBCT operates below
capacity, currently exporting
around 70 million tpy of coal,
while power utility Eskom is
also worried
about future
coal supplies
for its power
stations.
“Clearly
there is a
great need
for capacity
allocations
for smaller
coal mining
companies
at the port,”
one analyst
observed. “But this appears to
be more politically driven, if I
look at it. RBCT’s 90-milliontpy
capacity is underutilised,
while Eskom
is warning of
an imminent
coal supply
shortage for its
power stations
in the near
future. There
appears to be a
contradiction
here. Eskom
fears it won’t
have enough
supply, while
Transnet is
preparing to expand export
capacity of the mineral.”
INSERT
Eskom fears it won’t
have enough supply,
while Transnet is
preparing to expand
export capacity of
the mineral.
