In an extensive interview with Mozambican newspaper Notícias, de Maputo, the minister said that from December onwards Mozambique would have capacity to distribute and export over 22 million tons of cargo, of which 18 million tons will be coal mined in Tete.

Muthisse also said that until mid 2015 the Sena railroad will be ready to carry 30 million tons and “within another 18 or 20 months we will have a new terminal in Beira capable of exporting around 30 million tons of coal.”

The minister said that the Mozambican government had signed a concession contract for construction of the Mucuzi railroad and for a port, which will also have capacity to deal with 30 million tons of coal.

“We don’t want national production to become uncompetitive because of the railways or because of the ports, this infrastructure has to be managed in an efficient and competitive way.”

So far, the only ways of transporting coal mined in Tete are by road or along the Sena railroad, which even with the increased capacity announced by the minister is unable to carry all the coal that the companies want to export which, in the mid-term may reach 100,000 tons per year.