According to a press release distributed this Wednesday, the process was carried out on Tuesday in the province of Benguela, with the Evaluation Committee having accepted the proposals from the Trafigura, Mota Engil and Vecturis consortium and the CSC – CITIC, Sinotrans and CR20.
The document emphasizes that the bidders presented some complaints about the admission of bidders and proposals, actions that were analyzed by the tender evaluation committee, which concluded that there were not "sufficient non-conformities for the non-admission of bidders and the bids submitted by bidders". ".
The public tender for the Concession of Railway Services and Support Logistics for the Lobito Corridor was launched with the aim of guaranteeing the economic viability of the railway infrastructure from Lobito to Luau, in compliance with the Public Contracts Law, the tender documents and the international best practices.
The note emphasizes that the concession will have a term of 30 years, with a maximum term of 50 years, under the conditions defined in the tender documents, during which the concessionaire will assume the transport of large loads, with a greater predominance of ores. and fuel, while the public passenger and light freight service will remain under the management of the Benguela Railway.
This governmental initiative aims to ensure the maximization and economic enhancement of the railway infrastructure of the Lobito Corridor, which, due to its valences, presents itself as a platform for dynamizing the provincial and national economies, allowing the creation of direct and indirect jobs for citizens. national.
Under the terms of the concession, the integration of the Porto do Lobito Mining Terminal is also foreseen, the note highlights, adding that the reactivation of the Lobito Corridor is also part of the Executive's efforts to strengthen regional integration and materialize the sub-region's commitments, pointing to the future possibility of the Atlantic-Indian interconnection, with the connection of the railroad to the Port of Dar-es-Salaam, in Tanzania.
"The Lobito Corridor operation involves additional investments along the Lobito/Benguela/Luau rail route, including, on the one hand, the integration of the contiguous railway across the border, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and, on the other hand, , the construction of a branch to the Republic of Zambia", the document stresses.
The Lobito Corridor has benefited from requalification, as part of an investment of around US$1.9 billion recently carried out by the Government, which aimed at rebuilding the railway and connecting it with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Two proposals for the concession of the Lobito Corridor were approved. Mota Engil is a candidate
The Government has approved proposals from two consortia of companies for the public tender for the concession of the Lobito Corridor, launched in September 2021, for exploration within a period of between 30 and 50 years, at most.
