Mozambique: Coal exports to support growth

Mozambique is still counting on increasing coal exports to expand its infrastructure and to drive economic growth, despite depressed global prices, which might delay the timing of some major railway and port projects, according to Transport Minister Gabriel Muthisse. The government was also keen to attract investors to help build the infrastructure needed to exploit huge offshore natural gas reserves in the north, he said at the weekend. Coal producers in Mozambique might face a “strategic wait” before their export operations became fully profitable, but the government was committed to developing the coal industry as a growth driver. Mozambique’s current coal export capacity stands at around 6 million to 7 million tons per year, with the central Tete-to-Beira line its main export outlet. – Reuters