• MTE EXHIBITIONS
In line with this , in December 2023 , Al Cook , CEO of De Beers Group , commented on the company ’ s sales cycle 10 , 2023 with provisional sales of USD130-million across the company ’ s business . “ De Beers continued to offer lower levels of rough diamond supply , in line with current demand . As the end-ofyear holiday season progresses , we are seeing signs that the diamond industry is regaining its balance between wholesale supply and demand . Polished diamond prices look to have stabilised as inventory levels have decreased , though we expect improvements in rough diamond trading conditions to be gradual .” 2
And coal is still key On the other side of the coin in Botswana , Macnamara highlighted some key developments on the coal front .
One of these , the Jindal Energy Botswana ' s 300MW – since doubled to 600MW capacity – thermal coal-fired power plant at the Mmamabula coal field was named a priority project in Masisi ’ s SONA address . The 30-year deal will enable Botswana to supply power across the southern African region , making Botswana self-sufficient and a net exporter of electricity to a region in dire need of new energy solutions .
The Botswana government has strategically planned ahead , continually updating its Integrated Resource Plan ( IRP ) – the government ' s blueprint for electricity procurement between 2020 and 2040 . Government is targeting a goal of generating at least 30 % of national production from renewables by 2030 . With more than 200 billion tonnes of coal resources , and the country ’ s energy demand expected to rise from 600MW currently to around 800MW by 2028 , while its power supply is forecast to grow from just over 500MW to more than 1 000MW , 3 Botswana cannot ignore the significance coal still plays in its energy mix .
Under the original deal , Jindal agreed to spend USD1-billion to build a 4.5million tonne per annum coal mine and the power plant , recouping its investments from selling electricity to BPC over a 30-year period . While the 300MW plant was due to be complete by the first quarter of 2028 , the Indian group has suggested that its project could be finalised by 2026 .
The Mmamabula coal project , located 145km north of Gaborone within the Southern Belt Central Kalahari sub-basin – which is an extension of the Waterberg Coalfield of South Africa where the large-scale Grootegeluk Coal Mine is situated – is also underway
The mining and power industry in Botswana is upbeat , despite the downswing in diamond and coal pricing , with maintenance taking precedence . at the moment , with Maatla Resources implementing all the stages necessary to bring the low-cost thermal project into operation to produce high-grade coal for the export market and for the region . 3 The company commenced construction on site in Q1 2023 and it aims to start production in Q2 / 3 2024 . It will involve both opencast and underground mining , with an estimate of 100 000tpm for the South African inland market and seaborne exports . In the second phase , production is planned to increase to 300 – 400 000tpm .
Movement in manganese “ With the drive to mine battery metals for the climate change agenda , might manganese in Botswana be the next ‘ mining miracle ’ trend ?” suggests Macnamara . Dr Nicolaas Steenkamp ’ s contributed article ‘ Botswana in focus ’ 4 in African Mining , incorporating Mining Mirror ’ s February 2024 issue speaks of this particular trend – “ Various iron ore and manganese projects are also being developed … The Selkirk manganese project is being driven by Mandalay Resources , with exploration results indicating an estimated resource of 120 million tonnes of manganese ore grading 30 % Mn . Other manganese exploration projects include the Matsitama manganese project located in the North East District again backed by Power Metal Resources , where results suggest an estimated resource of 20 million tonnes of manganese ore grading 27 % Mn .
“ Finally , the Tati manganese project of Kalahari Resources has shown an estimated resource of 100 million tonnes of manganese ore grading 29 % Mn . Significant strides have also been made by Giyani Metals in the development of the K-Hill manganese operations . The company announced a 310 % increase in the indicated resources at the K-Hill Project . The current indicated resource is 163.1 million tonnes grading 16.1 % manganese ( Mt % Mn ). This was followed by the installation of the crystallisation unit at its demonstration plant in Botswana . The crystallisation unit is a critical piece of equipment for the production of high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate ( HPMSM ), which will be the primary product of the K-Hill Project . The plant has successfully produced HPMSM with a purity of 99.9 %, which meets the specifications for battery-grade HPMSM . Work on the optimised feasibility study ( FS ) commenced in Q4 of 2023 . The FS will provide a more detailed assessment of the project ' s economics and technical feasibility .” 5
The mining and power industry is moving and shaking in Botswana , despite tough economic lows , at the moment and it is clear that the future of these industries is still burning brightly . “ With our ears to the ground , MTE will look to incorporate new areas of development such as these in the future , over and above the areas we already visit , on an annual basis .”
References 1 . https :// joom . ag / Lx0d , p22 2 . PUBLISHING \ EDITORIAL \ AM \_ Sharyn \ Publication \ 2024 \ March24 \ 14 _
MTE \ De Beers . pdf 3 . https :// energycentral . com / news / jindal-breaks-ground-kickstart- 600mw-coal-power-plant #:~: text = The % 20deal % 20is % 20 expected % 20to ,)% 20coal % 2Dfired % 20power % 20plant 4 . https :// www . maatlaresources . com / mmamabula-coal 5 . For the full article go to : https :// joom . ag / Lx0d , p11 6 . Charles Siwawa , CEO of the Botswana Chamber of Mines ( BCM )
24 • African Mining • March 2024 www . africanmining . co . za