SouthGobi Energy Resources Ltd. recently
announced that an official government
commission appointed by Mongolia’s
Minister of Industry and Trade has issued
the Ovoot Tolgoi coal project in southern
Mongolia a permit to mine. The Ovoot
Tolgoi open-pit mine will be 45 km north of
the Mongolian border with China. A
Chinese steel mill already has built a railway
line to the Ceke border point, where a
major, automated railcar loading facility
opened last year. The Mongolian government
is formally transforming the Ceke
border point into a full-time border crossing
that will allow daily distribution of
Ovoot Tolgoi coal to customers in China.
SouthGobi has begun stripping and
development of the first coal-mining production
benches for the planned open-pit
mine. The company started site clearing,
topsoil stockpiling, drainage control and
road construction in January. The initial
workforce for the Ovoot Tolgoi open-pit coal
mine has been selected and all senior mine
management staff are in place. The first
operating crews, according to the company,
consist of experienced Mongolian heavyequipment
operators who require minimal
familiarization with the new equipment.
As featured in Womp 08 Vol 4 - www.womp-int.com