Name of the Project
Erdenet to Ovoot railway project.

Location
Mongolia.

Client
Aspire Mining.

Project Description
The Erdenet to Ovoot railway is a critical component of the development of the Ovoot coking coal project, which hosts 255-million tonnes of coal reserve and can sustain production of ten-million tonnes a year over 21 years.

A first-stage feasibility study has concluded that the project is financially feasible.

The study includes provision for two locomotive service centres and depots, as well as 11 bypass loops for the single line track to provide network capacity of 20-million tonnes a year.

There are also 10 km of tunnels across seven separate tunnels.

The rail design includes minimum curvatures at 800 m and maximum gradients at 0.9%, which adds 2 km to bring the total rail distance to 549 km. The target speed is 80 km/h based on three diesel locomotive train sets hauling 10 000 t per consist. Locomotive depots are to be located at Erdenet and Ovoot.

Jobs to be Created
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
The capital cost to build the railway has been estimated at $1.25-billion for a 20-million-tonne-a-year capacity single line at current exchange rates.

Duration
The project is expected to take five years to complete.

Latest Developments
The feasibility study has recommended that the project be implemented as soon as possible.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Aspire Mining, tel +61 8 9287 4555 or fax +61 8 9353 6974.