The Ministry of Transport plans to conclude concessions at four BAM facilities for 600 billion rubles in 2023

The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation is considering options for a concession at the Eastern test site in 2023 for four facilities of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) for 600 billion rubles. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Transport of Russia Valentin Ivanov.

According to Mr. Ivanov, the second Severomuysky, Kuznetsovsky and Kodarsky tunnels, as well as the bridge across the Amur are considered as objects for the concession. A separate company has been created for each of these objects. “This company is a consortium of banks and an investor. A separate SEC, a separate legal entity, was made for each volume, ”added Mr. Ivanov (quoted by RIA Novosti). The Deputy Minister expects the conclusion of concession agreements next year.

Mr. Ivanov said that these objects belong to the third stage of the development of the Eastern test site. He also did not rule out that foreign companies from “friendly countries” could be attracted to invest in these projects. “With whom the investor will agree in the consortium, whose financing to attract, what conditions, interest rates, terms of repayment. Maybe they will borrow in foreign currency. This is an investor’s question,” Mr. Ivanov stressed.

According to Kommersant’s information, the authorities are discussing the possibility of reducing construction volumes as part of the second stage of the expansion of the BAM and the Trans-Siberian Railway with their transfer to a later date. In particular, it is proposed to significantly reduce activities at the BAM. A source familiar with the plans of Russian Railways said that the company was “instructed to work out possible optimization” of the parameters for the second and third stages of the development of the Eastern test site in order to reduce the funding gap.

More details – in the material “Kommersant” “Not for coal, BAM will spill”.

Erdni Kagaltynov