Richards Bay Coal Terminal

Richards Bay Coal Terminal is a coal export terminal in South Africa, the largest on the continent. The terminal is owned by the Richards Bay Coal Terminal Company Ltd, which is a consortium comprising ten shareholding coal and coal logistics companies.

Background
On its website the company states that the "Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) is one of the largest export coal terminals in the world. Opened in 1976 with an original capacity of 12 million tons per annum, it has grown into an advanced 24-hour operation with a design capacity of 76 million tons per annum."

In August 2011 Richards Bay Coal Terminal shipments rose 28 percent compared to 2010, as the cost of coal increased. The port shipped a monthly record of 8.08 million metric tons of the fuel in December 2011.

Coal from the country's Penumbra thermal coal project is to begin being exported through the Richards Bay Coal Terminal in the second quarter of 2012.

Ownership
The ten shareholding companies in the terminal are:


 * Anglo Operations Ltd,
 * BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa Limited,
 * Kangra Coal (Pty) Ltd,
 * Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd,
 * Total Coal South Africa (Pty) Ltd,
 * Xstrata SA (Pty) Ltd,
 * South Dunes Coal Terminal Company (Pty) Limited,
 * Exxaro Coal (Pty) Limited,
 * Optimum Coal Holdings (Pty) Ltd and
 * Koornfontein Mines (Pty) Ltd.

Expansion
In October 2011, the state-owned logistics group Transnet said it plans to add an additional 14 million tonnes of capacity on the coal line by moving non-coal cargo to a new line via Swaziland. The Swazi link, expected within six years, will cost around 12.3 billion rand. Some 7.3 billion of that will be financed by Swazi Rail. In January 2012, Transnet said the first Swazi train will run in three years, and will create additional capacity of 15 million metric tons annually to Richards Bay Coal Terminal, eventually to 95 million tons a year. The 140-kilometer (87-mile) railway will run between the coal-producing province of Mpumalanga and the port to the east, cutting through landlocked Swaziland. In the meantime, Transnet said it will increase coal deliveries to the terminal by 17 percent to 74 million tons in 2012.

Anglo American, Exxaro, Sasol, BHP Billiton, and Xstrata Coal are looking to export more coal to supply growing demand from power plants in Asia. But South Africa's ruling African National Congress is debating whether to declare coal a strategic resource to ensure South African power plants are supplied - the country uses coal for about 85 percent of its power.

In November 2012 Transnet stated that it planned to build its own new coal terminal at Richards Bay as a way of bypassing the existing terminal which is controlled by the Richards Bay Coal Terminal Company, a consortium of existing coal companies and a coal transport company. Sudesh Maharaj, programme director for Transnet's Richards Bay port expansion projects, told Reuters that the company was planning to build a terminal capable of handling 14 million tonnes a year with the capacity to be upgraded to 32 million tonnes a year. Reuters reported that "the facility could begin exporting by mid-2020 if approved by the Transnet board...". (See Richards Bay Coal Terminal (Proposed - Transnet) for further details).

Executive resigns
In October 2011 Richards Bay Coal Terminal chief executive Raymond Chirwa resigned after holding the position for two years, reportedly because the terminal exports fell up to October 2011 compared to the same time in 2010. A few weeks later it was reported that 1.6 million tonnes of coal per week had been moved to the terminal, up from 1.4 million tonnes.

Contact details
South Dunes Richards Bay Harbour KwaZulu Natal South Africa, 3900

Postal address PO Box 56 Richards Bay, 3900 South Africa Phone: +27 (0)35 904 4911 Website: http://www.rbct.co.za/

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