Chilean firm OMX Operaciones Marítimas, a subsidiary of Brazil’s EBX group, expects to begin construction on its Puerto Castilla multipurpose port in northern region III in the early part of 2012, Puerto Castilla director Jorge Ronda Tampier told BNamericas.
The private port, to be built some 80km south of regional capital Copiapó, will require an investment of some US$300mn.
The completed port facility will have three terminals and will be able to handle post-Panamax and capesize vessels, the latter with capacity of 170,000 deadweight tons (DWT).
“We have environmental approval, which means we’ve got the green light to begin working on the project. We’re currently negotiating long term contracts for the use of the port and if these are successful we expect to begin construction early next year. Construction should take two years,” Ronda said.
OMX has shortlisted four companies to build the port and is conducting an EPC bid process focusing on the port’s coal and copper concentrate terminals.
“There’s been great interest from international and Chilean construction companies to build the port, but we cannot conduct a bid process with 20 participants. The selected companies will have 75 days to present a formal offer which includes detailed engineering, equipment purchase and construction,” the executive added.
The port is designed to import up to 6Mt of coal, as well as export 2Mt of copper and 10Mt of iron ore.
The port facility will supply the 2.1GW coal-fired Castilla thermo plant being developed by OMX’s sister company MPX Energia. The project received environmental approval in February this year.
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