a bit of info on the coal project

I typed in Kangwane anthracite into Google and came up with this . You have to smile after years of telling us what great products they had they are going to go into coal mining . GREAT.
Have a look at www.siyandaresources.co.za for some background in the company they are working with .

Situated between the town of Komatipoort and the Mananga Border Post in the eastern part of the Mpumalanga Province.

Background

In the late 1970s Mining Corporation Limited identified the coal potential of the Nkomazi Region (Kamhlushwa), A subsequent exploration programme conducted from 1979 to 1981 proved a substantial anthracite resource However, serious problems were encountered in transporting the coal to Maputo harbour and the mining operation was shelved again in 1992. The major problems had to do with the unfavourable loading facilities at Komatipoort Railway Station, continuous sabotaging of the railway line and failure of the harbour administration at Maputo.

Proposal

*

The anthracite deposit has a relatively high raw ash content and a washing plant will be required to produce a marketable product.
* Exploitation of the Lower Seam both by opencast as well as underground extraction methods should be economically viable assuming that an export contract for the high-ash product can be negotiated.


* An estimated 20 % of the total resource especially in the far north and central areas could be regarded as suitable for open cast extraction based on a maximum stripping ratio of 5:1.


* The serious transporting problems which were encountered during 1992 have been overcome, because since then a rail spur has been built parallel to the deposit and the Maputo corridor opened up for trade. All that is now required is a siding.


* The deposit has a favourable setting in terms of water supply, is 130 km from Maputo, close to electricity supply and abundance labour.


* There is a desperate need to create employment opportunities in the area in order to alleviate poverty.

Outcome

Re-opening of the abandoned mine on the IMkomati Anthracite property and establishing of a new opencast pit operation on the Kangwane Anthracite lease area. There would be associated employment, but the biggest incentive would be the foreign earnings resulting from exporting the anthracite.