Mine excursion
The core samples arrive at Bureau Veritas ’ laboratory in Centurion wrapped in plastic bags . substantial exploration project focused on coking coal recently submitted core samples for testing . Most of the remaining coal in South Africa is unearthed from two coalfields : the Waterberg in the Limpopo province , and the Witbank coalfields in the Mpumalanga province . Although the Waterberg has provided a significant amount of coal over the years , the Witbank basin is more developed , mostly due to a lack of road and rail infrastructure development in the Waterberg . Some of the remaining coking coal found is more prevalent in ( but not exclusive to ) the Waterberg , with some reserves in Limpopo that is undeveloped at this stage and the depleted Tshikondeni Coal Mine close to the Kruger National Park , while most thermal coal used in South African power stations have their origins in the coalfields of Mpumalanga .
A few years ago , the Waterberg received a great deal of attention , with several companies ( large and small ) exploring the attractive seams . Hefer confirms the increased interest in the Waterberg a few years ago , but he says that much of that initial excitement has slowed in recent years . However , the area hosts huge reserves of coal , some of it semi-soft coking coal , and is potentially a big money-spinner .
To illustrate the complexities of coal further , Hefer explains that the coal reserves found in the Waterberg differ from the coal found in Mpumalanga . “ The coke in the north ( close to Lephalale ) is not the same as in the south , as semi-soft coke can be extracted as a product prior to targeting the thermal products . So , these coal mines will typically aim to have three different product streams : coking coal , thermal coal for export , and thermal coal for domestic use ( Eskom ). In exceptional cases , for example Exxaro ’ s Grootegeluk , a mine can have a multi-stream of products by generating additional by-products in the semi-coke process . The biggest conundrum in the coking coal business , according to Carstens , is the Hwange Coal Mine
Geologists from across Africa send in their samples , and we assist the exploration companies with their flow diagrams and with whatever they want to analyse for .
MARCH 2018 MINING MIRROR [ 15 ]