After a recent visit to
the border checkpoint at Gashunsukhait, where the volume of traffic often leads
to a 5-km-long line of vehicles, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister D.Zorigt
told The Mongolian Mining Journal that coal export has been increasing lately,
but there has been little expansion of facilities at the checkpoint. The most
urgent task is to get a new border port complex under the Concession Law. Not
just the work facilities, the living and working conditions of the staff have
to be improved in tandem.

As for now, a
streamlining of operational practices is essential to ease the chaotic
conditions. More than 300 vehicles pass the border every day and the number is
increasing with material for Oyu Tolgoi coming in. Stuff worth USD500 million
will come for Oyu Tolgoi before the end of 2010 and the Minister thought it would
be helpful if there was a separate channel for them. “Some such simple changes
will have to do until a large-scale overhaul can start,” he said, adding, “All
the people there work very hard in trying conditions, but things can be
improved if there is proper coordination between the responsibilities of
various organizations.”

Another border point,
Zamin-Uud, has an urban status, has an Administrator and its expenses come from
the province’s budget, which makes planning easy. However, Gashunsukhait does
not have the status and has no financial autonomy. Workers’ families are
expected to arrive shortly and many things should be made ready for them. The
local administration has started working on the issue. A small township will be
built within two years at a place 5 km from the border. Only the decision has
been taken, and no work is yet done on planning and design. The Government has
allowed the local administration to spend USD2 billion for improving work at
the port in cooperation with the major companies operating in the Gobi. 

Told of the local
perception that the Chinese are not interested in any improvement, the Minister
said, “I haven’t noticed anything like this. It is always helpful to have
similar infrastructure development on both sides of a border crossing. The
Chinese side of the port is already better equipped and it is for us to match
their facilities.”

Giving his impression of
the work of the three mines close to one another in Umnugobi province,
Tavantolgoi, Energy Resource, and Erdenes MGL, Zorigt said, “ In Ukhaa Khudag,
things are world class. Erdenes MGL will also work well and efficiently. On the
other hand, we visited Tavantolgoi, a company owned by the local government and
the Director could not even recall the names of the companies that worked there
as operators and could give us no idea of operations in any of the four
territories.”