Mining Mirror September 2018 | Page 3

Comment Technology makes coal mining great Get in touch @LeonLouw3 llouw@interactmedia.co.za A mid lower international prices and lacklustre demand for minerals like gold and platinum, coal is the new beacon of hope for the South African mining industry. Despite campaigns to taint its image, coal will drive Africa’s economic development. There certainly is room for alternative sources of energy, but coal should remain the backbone of any developing country’s energy strategy, as it is in Asia, India, and the Middle East, which in fact has become a huge market for South Africa’s coal. The demand for coal has created new opportunities in South Africa for junior mining companies like Black Royalty Minerals, Wescoal, and Canyon Coal, and rumour has it that more new projects are in the pipeline. Also, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, and parts of East Africa hold significant coal deposits, which will add to the growing tonnes of coal exports from Africa. The coal mining industry has put in a great deal of effort to reduce the adverse impacts of coal on the environment. Moreover, companies like Exxaro, for example, are leaders in developing ‘mines of the future’. I recently attended the opening of Exxaro’s impressive digitised project in Belfast in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. If this is where mining is heading, it bodes well in terms of providing jobs for technology-savvy millennials. It is a fitting example of integrating data and technology and introduces a new way of thinking about the future of mining. The Belfast coal project is on target to start producing its first thermal coal in 2020. It is the first mine in South Africa to have a ‘digital twin’ (a complete digital replica of reality). The project is more than 20 years in the making and Exxaro will pay about R3.3-billion to develop the mine. Belfast will unearth close to 2.7 million tonnes per annum of what is thought to be the last big reserves of A-grade, high-yield coal reserves in Mpumalanga. The mine has an estimated life of 17 years. According to Johan Meyer, executive head: projects and technology at Exxaro, the mine will use the latest technologies to deploy a digital mine operations management system. “This system will generate insights and reports to improve decision-making that will reduce the mine’s costs and ensure it remains low on the cost curve, while increasing productivity,” says Meyer. The mine’s ‘digital twin’ is a complete digital replica of reality, allowing relevant people to connect to it from anywhere in the world. Even specialist consultants and subject matter experts can view the operations and data and make recommendations without physically visiting the mine. Benefits of this hyper-connectivity include reduced downtime and increased safety. Meyer says artificial intelligence would eventually manage the mine and make decisions on its own. “This is where the 6-D and 7-D capabilities that are being built into the project will make their real value felt,” he says. The Belfast operation is Exxaro’s first greenfields mine since 2007, when Inyanda, near Witbank, was developed. According to Mxolisi Mgojo, CEO at Exxaro, it might not be the last: “We have a long-term journey in coal. It remains one of the pillars of producing energy in our country.” Leon Editor SEPTEMBER 2018 MINING MIRROR [1]