Mota-Engil wins Congo rail concession linked to US-backed Angola corridor

Portugal’s largest builder, Mota-Engil MOTA.LS, said on Wednesday it had won a 30-year concession to modernise and operate a railway in the Democratic Republic of Congo, linking the country’s copper and cobalt mining regions to the U.S.-backed Lobito Corridor in Angola.

Mota-Engil said in a statement that total investment over the concession period should amount to $1.8 billion, strengthening its order backlog and supporting long-term growth.

The 1,037 km (644 mile) railway will provide an export route for copper, cobalt and other critical minerals from Congo’s copper belt, including the mining hubs of Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, to Atlantic markets via Angola’s Lobito port.

Authorities in Congo, the world’s second-largest copper producer, expect the upgraded line to handle up to 13.7 million metric tons of freight annually.

Washington has backed the Lobito Corridor with financing and diplomatic efforts to secure access to minerals used in batteries and reduce reliance on China-dominated supply chains.

Mota-Engil, which is 40% owned by the founding Mota family and 32.41% by China Communications Construction Company 601800.SS, is already part of the consortium operating the connecting rail line in Angola to Lobito port, alongside Trafigura Group and other partners.

(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; editing by Andrei Khalip, Kirsten Donovan)