south african coal mining industry

South Africa has a:

- well-established
- low-risk coal mining industry,

which has reputable participants, including
Anglo Coal, BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa (BECSA), Xstrata Coal, Exxaro Resources, and Sasol Mining.
There are also an increasingly large number of junior mining companies as a result of their investing in greenfield
projects and brownfield projects, divested by the larger mining companies wishing to secure BEE credits and to
sell mines that do not fit into their coal portfolios (Ryan, 2011).
Coal is one of outh Africa’s most important export minerals. The bulk of the exports, particularly when freight
charges are low, go to Asia (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2010).
South Africa was the seventh-largest global producer of coal in energy and volume terms in 2011. South Africa’s
coal reserves rank ninth in the world with a reported 30.2Bt of economically recoverable coal reserves. The
country has historically been known for its

- low-cost
- readily-available coal,

which makes it a very competitive
industry.

DYOR