RUB 2 billion to be invested in new grain terminal within SEZ Lotos in Astrakhan Region
The first phase of the terminal is to be launched in the end of 2023
The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation has issued a certificate for the second resident of the port-type SEZ in the Astrakhan region – Agroterminal Caspy which is going to build a modern terminal for storage and shipment of grain and vegetable oil. Investments into the project are to exceed RUB 2 billion, according to SEZ Lotos.
The terminal will accept products from road and rail transport, ensure their proper storage and transshipment onto water transport. The terminal’s capacity is planned at 900 thousand tonnes of grain and 300 thousand tonnes of vegetable oil per year. The terminal’s storage capacity is 100 thousand tonnes of grain. The first phase is to be launched in the end of 2023.
The anchor resident of the Port SEZ, PLC Caspiy LLC, together with its foreign partners are the main investors of the project.
A Decree on establishment of a 644-hectare special port economic zone (Port SEZ) in the Limansky District of the Astrakhan Region (document No 1792) was signed by RF Government on 7 November 2020. The managing company of the Port SEZ is SEZ Lotos JSC. The project is being implemented in pursuance of the presidential order on development of the International Transport Corridor “Sever-Yug” (“North-South”) and social and economic development of the Astrakhan Region.
Total investments into the project are expected to exceed RUB 27 billion. Annua cargo turnover is expected to make about 8 million tonnes by 2031.
North-South international transport corridor (ITC) is a 7,200-kilometre-long transport artery from St Petersburg to ports in Iran and India. North-South ITC has a western and an eastern branch, both running across Iran. The western one foresees cargo transportation by road via Rasht, the eastern one – by railway. The end point in Iran is the port of Bandar Abbas from which cargo can be delivered to India by sea. The western branch also crosses Azerbaijan, the eastern one – Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Besides, direct water transportation from Russia to Iran by the Caspian Sea is possible.