Botswana – South Africa heavy-haul rail project almost ready | reports IRJ
This railway news report is focused on the expected physical construction of new railway. That is the SUPPLY side story.
The rest of the technical story will be found in the depth of the awaited economic feasibility study.
Is the shifting global market DEMAND going forward going to require the added transport supply? Reports from Independant market analysts like Goldman Sachs suggest a much lower market demand for coal.
Can this new Botswana project compete in a slowing growth market and still pay off the railway future debt?
On the supply side, the report says: The new railway line would ultimately be part of a new 560km heavy-haul railway linking Botswana and South Africa’s Waterberg coalfield with Lothair, near Ermelo, where it would meet the planned 146km Swazilink line. This would create a new route via Swaziland for coal traffic and general freight to both Richard’s Bay and Maputo in Mozambique.
The expected market demand is for about 100 million annual coal tons?
Is that a realistic market forecast based on current economic due diligence? Let’s see what the promised feasibility report says when it is released.
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