In June this year, the CEO of EMME promised that the works on the “Futran” megaproject would start in September this year. Confronted with the deadlines, João Ruas denied his own words and promised that Maputo will have at least 50% of the lines in operation by December 2022.
In the middle of this year, Mozambicans were presented with good news: the FUTRAN project, an initiative announced on the national network by the Chairman of the Municipal Mobility and Parking Company (EMME). What’s happened is that September came and went and it was already expected that we’d see movement on the ground – but, until now, nothing. To clear up any doubts, our team went to the company’s headquarters to get some answers. “The project is on the move and is a reality, not another false promise”. It was with these words that our team was received by the PCA at the company. Confronted with the deadlines, previously presented by him, he justified himself in the following terms.
“On that day…I didn’t say we would have the podcars, or that the work would start in September or October. I said that the project will start in September or October, but not on the ground, because there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work to be done,” he defended himself, quoted by “O País”.
But that’s not exactly what the engineer said on the day the good news was announced. At the time, the leader said and we quote. “The construction work will start in September and the construction time for the project is about 18 months.”
But that’s not exactly what the engineer said on the day the good news was announced. At the time, the leader said and we quote. “The construction work will start in September and the construction time for the project is about 18 months.”
Asked when residents will be able to enjoy the suspended vehicles, Ruas guaranteed that “by December 2022, fifty per cent of the lines will be working”.
“A project of this size budgeted at $250 million needs to be aligned on a number of issues because a small deviation can have huge impacts. This is not a conventional project like others. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that has to be done. The pillars of the structure, the beams, the cars are not manufactured in Mozambique. This equipment is prefabricated in different countries and then assembled in Mozambique,” he said.
According to the source, the other reason delaying the start of the project on the ground is the entry of large companies, such as Mitsubishi and Toyota, which plan to form partnerships with Mozambique to acquire the hydrogen and ammonia that will be produced via solar panels, the main source of power for the suspended vehicles.
“Given the size of the project, there are more partners who want to come in. As a result of the panel systems, a lot of hydrogen and green ammonia results and said partners want to leverage that. Documents that exist and are even available on the internet reveal that the green ammonia market in 2050 will be $200 billion. These are major attractions and this project has the potential to generate a lot of hydrogen and ammonia,” he said.
The municipal company says that betting on these clean energy sources is one way to ensure the sustainability of the initiative, so that the price of that transport is similar to that practiced by “chapas”. “If we can make parallel businesses of support, of partners anchored in the Futran project, not only will help pay the ticketing, but will also allow a quick return on investment,” he explained.
