Bodi ready to take on any challenge in country following railway success

Bodi International LLC — head company of Bodi Group — is marking its 30th anniversary this year. Bodi was founded in 1993 as one of the first private enterprises in Mongolia and has grown into a group company with diverse businesses in infrastructure, urban construction, travel, banking and financial sectors. It continues to boost local economic and social development as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Bodi International acted as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contractor for the 233.6-kilometer Tavantolgoi-Gashuunsukhait railway.

Gashuunsukhait Port shares its border with China's Gantmod Port and serves as the primary gateway to handle more than 55 percent of Mongolia's coal exports. It is crucial for increasing coal exports, reducing transportation costs, fostering Mongolian economic growth and driving social development.

The railway features seamless, heavy-duty rails and boasts a remarkable capacity to transport 30-50 million metric tons of coal annually. The project takes pride in being the first complex project constructed by Mongolian engineers despite its complexity. Completed with the collective efforts of more than 700 vendors and business partners and 15,000 employees it serves as a tremendous inspiration for all parties involved, encouraging all parties involved to explore new horizons.

The construction period of the project coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. At the outset of 2020, subcontractors responsible for constructing 16 bridges and foreign laborers were unable to enter the country due to closed borders. This marked the onset of an initial challenge that began with the need to solely use domestic human resources. As a result of border restrictions, foreign remittances were suspended, which resulted in a recession in the supply of goods. The price of domestic transportation increased by 50 percent and the price of foreign transportation increased fourfold due to delays in port access. This led to significant difficulties in the preparation and delivery of project supplies.

Mongolia is landlocked and lacks developed logistic transport infrastructure. Additionally, the project faced new difficulties and challenges each day due to the pandemic in neighboring countries.

However, the project, which is of great importance to Mongolia and had been awaited for nine years, commenced and no backward steps could be taken. With the belief that even the seemingly impossible can be achieved and employing the most effective solutions while optimizing management methods, the railway was successfully put into operation as scheduled in July 2022, marking the commencement of coal transportation.

Bodi Group is undertaking its next major project, a 600-megawatt power plant based on the Bureljuut mine. It represents a significant advancement in Mongolia's energy sector, introduces innovative technological solutions and fosters development. The first block with a capacity of 150 MW, is scheduled for commissioning in October 2024.

As a developing country, Mongolia needs to place greater emphasis on infrastructure development. Therefore, Bodi aims to undertake infrastructure projects, involving roads, bridges, tunnels, railways and energy based on the experience, human resources and technology it has amassed as the EPC contractor for the large railway project.