Modern Mining January 2020

COAL

teams will be connected to specific equipment and machinery, allowing problems to be picked up early and addressed. Exxaro’s innovation at Belfast and its other mines has not gone unnoticed and the com- pany was recently awarded the top prize at the 19th annual SA National Business Awards in the Innovation category. It was also recognised in the recent MTN IoT (Internet of Things) awards in the Best Industry Solution category for the IoT-based production system – earlyROM Mining Production System – that manages the mining fleet in real-time at the Belfast mine. The Belfast project forms part of a R20 billion investment programme that Exxaro is undertaking spanning the years 2018 to 2023. Other projects in the programme include the R4,8 billion expansion of the GG6 plant at its flagship Grootegeluk coal mine; the R1,3 billion Grootegeluk Load Out Station upgrade project; the Leeuwpan Life Extension project, a R522 million optimisation project at the Leeuwpan coal mine; the R1,9 billion Mafube Life Extension project; the R3,5 billion Matla Life of Mine project, which – among other things – involves the relocation of Matla Mine 1; and the R3,2 billion Thabametsi Phase 1 coal project. Grootegeluk and Thabametsi are both located in the Waterberg coalfield in Limpopo Province while all the other projects are in Mpumalanga. It should also be noted that Mafube is a joint venture with Anglo American. The Belfast, Leeuwpan and Mafube projects are complete, as is the first phase of GG6. Thabametsi forms part of an IPP project. All the licensing is in place and the project is now in the financing phase. Speaking at the 2nd South African Investment

Conference held in November last year at the Sandton Convention Centre, Exxaro CEO Mxolisi Mgojo re-affirmed the company’s commitment to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s investment drive for the country. “I’m pleased to confirm that we are on target to fully spend the remaining R9 billion balance of the R20 billion up to the year 2023 to complete our projects,” he said. He concluded by saying that Exxaro remained “driven as a South African com- pany to realise the President’s vision and participate in the collective effort of all gathered here to achieve the country’s mission of inclusive growth.” Exxaro produced just short of 48 Mt of coal in 2018 (with 8 Mt of this total being exported) and is aiming to increase this to 60 Mt by 2023. The com- pany is South Africa’s largest coal producer and its Grootegeluk mine is one of the largest coal mines in the southern hemisphere. Photos courtesy of Exxaro

Part of the processing plant area with thickeners in the foreground.

Looking towards the tip showing the primary and secondary sizing stations.

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January 2020  MODERN MINING  51