OREANDA-NEWS. On May 21, 2008 The company EURASIAN NATURAL RESOURCES CORPORATION PLC, common shares of which are traded in the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) category "A" official list, provided to KASE the press-release of May 20, 2008, reported the press-centre of KASE. 

Below is the original text of this press release in English.

ENRC to develop and operate the Zhetigen-Khorgos railway line between Kazakhstan and China

Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation PLC ('ENRC' or, together with its subsidiaries, the 'Group'), the holding company of a leading diversified natural resources group based in Kazakhstan, announces that ENRC Logistics, the Group's transportation division, has won the Kazakhstan State tender for the China Gateway Project'. The China Gateway Project will involve the construction of approximately 300 kilometres of railway in South-East Kazakhstan, which ENRC will subsequently operate.

The China Gateway Project is one of the key elements in the Government of Kazakhstan's programme for developing the nation's transport infrastructure. A single-track railroad will be constructed between Zhetigen in the Republic of Kazakhstan and Khorgos on the Kazakhstan-Chinese border. Four intermediate stations, ten intersections, and a loading complex will also be built as part of the project. According to recent projections from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the volume of cargo transported between Kazakhstan and China is expected to increase from around 19 million tonnes per annum in 2008 to some 46 million tonnes in 2020.

The US\\$900 million capital expenditure project will be the largest ever private investment in Kazakhstan's transport infrastructure. Construction will begin later this year, and it is envisaged that the railway will commence operations in 2012. ENRC's concession to operate the railway will run until 2036. The realization of the project will enable ENRC to improve the delivery of its products to customers in China, diversify the activities of ENRC Logistics and enhance profitability by offering services to third parties.

Dr. Johannes Sittard, Chief Executive Officer of ENRC, said: "We are proud to be involved in this great project. The new railway will facilitate the increase in cargo carried between Kazakhstan and China by up to 30 million tonnes per annum. It will provide ENRC's operations with an additional secure transportation route and with an increased capacity for products to be sold into the growing Chinese market."