Modern Mining July 2024

Mngeni Shaft is ZAC’s newly developed shaft aimed at supporting production levels.

explains. In line with its current social and labour plan, ZAC has committed to providing 35 internships and 15 learnerships at an estimated cost of over R6 million. To date, 17 interns have successfully completed their internships and a further 14 people have finished their learnerships. ZAC recently welcomed 11 new interns in various fields, including geology, information technology, and safety. In previous years, the mine also employed candidates who performed exceptionally well. “Of the 42 learners that took part in the previous SLP, we employed 29 on a permanent basis,” says Beukes. Further to this, ZAC invested in the construction of a Reverse Osmosis Water treatment plant to purify wastewater to a consumable quality level. The purified water will benefit the mine and an estimated 240 households from the surrounding community. The plant will also assist the company in reducing its freshwater consumption. Commodities outlook for anthracite Owing to its low volatility and highest calorific values, global anthracite demand is expected to grow going forward. According to a report by Verified Market Research, the global anthracite market size is anticipated

Landa Ilanga worked on terracing and levelling the roadway to the shaft while Kulu Mining is tasked with working on the box cut, concreting the laydown area and constructing the vent collar for the fan, among other things. Both companies were given a chance to sub-contract some of the work to other suppliers, thus ensuring that more companies benefitted from the opportunities. “It is through partnerships such as these that ZAC hopes to empower its host communities. ZAC also works closely with local businesses that provide the mine with services such as coal haulage, catering and cleaning,” he says. Community upliftment initiatives ZAC currently employs about 700 permanent employees with around 500 contractors’ employees totalling 1200 ZAC employees and contractors. The mine’s continued stability means host communities can benefit from the mine’s social initiatives such as clean water projects, procurement opportunities, learnerships and bursaries, amongst other things. “Projects, such as the installation of toilets at Elomo Primary School and water infrastructure initiatives in the Nongoma communities, underscore our dedication to providing dignified facilities and essential resources,” Beukes

Anthracite uses • The principal use of anthracite today is as domestic fuel in either hand-fired stoves or automatic stoker furnaces. • It is also commonly used in industrialised or specialised applications, such as iron and steel manufacturing. • The product delivers high energy per its weight and burns cleanly with little soot, making it ideal for this purpose. • Anthracite is ranked the highest among all coal types due to its high carbon content (86-98%) and high heating value (34.890 kJ/kg). It is preferred over all other types of coal is because it is considered the cleanest. emerging Asian economies such as China and India, where population growth and consequent infrastructure development are increasing demand for domestic fuel and power generation projects,” Wiets Beukes concludes.  to grow by 5.6%, increasing from $ 318.32 million in 2023 to $ 492.24 million by 2031. Key market drivers include industrial production, steel manufacturing and energy demand. “We expect demand to increase in

JULY 2024 | www.modernminingmagazine.co.za  MODERN MINING  11