USTDA grants funds for Mongolian coal rail line study

USTDA grants funds for Mongolian coal rail line study The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has awarded a grant to a Mongolia mine operator Sharyn Gol Energy LLC to enhance rail transportation links between southern Mongolia and coal customers in Mongolia and China.
   “The $391,550 grant will partially fund a feasibility study on a proposed 86-kilometer branch railroad line that would connect Sharyn Gol’s existing coal mining operations in southern Mongolia to the main north-south rail line,” the agency said in a statement. “The objective is to allow Sharyn Gol to expand its operations and provide for more efficient means of transporting its coal to customers. Rail transport has become the primary method of moving heavy and bulk freight and plays a significant role in Mongolia’s mining industry, where 28 percent of coal extracted is exported to neighboring countries, primarily Russia and China. However, a relatively limited rail network, especially in rural areas with limited rail access, has hampered expansion of the sector, Mongolia’s main export industry.”
   Sharyn Gol will use a Virginia firm for the feasibility study, USTDA added.