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Russia to launch Pacific coal export port construction this year

The facility called the Sever (North) terminal will be built at Cape Petrovsky near the port of Vostochny in Nakhodka and will be focused on coal exports to countries of the Asia-Pacific region

VLADIVOSTOK, February 4. /TASS/. The construction of a 36 billion-ruble ($545 million) coal export port facility in the Primorye Territory on Russia’s Pacific coast will begin this year, the regional industry and transport department said on Wednesday.

The facility called the Sever (North) terminal will be built at Cape Petrovsky near the port of Vostochny in Nakhodka and will be focused on coal exports to countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The new facility will be able to reload up to 20 million tons of coal annually, the regional industry and transport department said. "The launch of construction works is scheduled for the spring of 2015," it said.

The coal port construction project will provide employment for at least 1,400 people and will require building over 50 km (31 miles) of railways, 11 bridges and overpasses, four mooring facilities more than 900 meters long and laying new engineering networks.

Design work is coming to a close and documentation is being approved with necessary agencies and departments.

The new terminal is scheduled to reach its designed capacity in 2025 and will be able to make an annual shipment of up to 6 million tons of coal already in three years.

The project is part of the targeted federal program for the development of Russia’s transport system in 2010-2020. Federal budget financing will total 23.2 billion rubles ($352 million) while another 13 billion rubles ($197 million) will be provided by private investors.

The project will be implemented by Primorneftegazprom and Stroinovatsiya integrated into the developer Summa, which is already carrying out a large investment project in the port of Zarubino in the Khasan district of the Primorye Territory.

The Primorye Territory is already implementing a large project for building a coal port at Sukhodol Bay with investment estimated at 18 billion rubles ($273 million). All necessary design work has been completed and the start of construction is also scheduled for this year.

According to the plan, the port of Sukhodol will ship up to 20 million tons of coal to the Asia-Pacific region annually.

The Russian Far Eastern ports increased coal transshipment to countries of the Asia-Pacific regions by over 20% last year.