https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Jindal plans to start building Botswana coal mine in 2022

26th November 2021

By: Reuters

  

Font size: - +

India's Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL) will start building a coal mine in Botswana's southeastern Mmamabula coalfields in 2022, aiming to supply the export market and a planned coal power plant, a company official said.

The Indian industrial giant aims for the mine to produce 4.5-million tonnes of coal per year.

"Work will start next year and develop in phases over two to three years. Regional demand is increasing and the South African market has appetite for Botswana coal," Jindal Botswana country head Neeraj Saxena told Reuters.

Despite the global shift from coal, Botswana is pushing ahead with developing its estimated 212-billion tonnes of coal resources. In April, it shortlisted Jindal, Minergy, African Energy Resources and Maatla Resources in a tender to build a 300 MW coal-fired power plant.

At the COP26 climate conference this month Botswana signed up to a global commitment to reduce the use of coal, but opted out of a pledge to stop issuing new coal mining licences.

A last-minute intervention by India and China just before the conclusion of the climate talks changed a requested coal "phase out" to a "phase down".

The bidding for the 300MW power plant tender is down to three after Maatla Resources pulled out, citing challenges in accessing funding among other reasons.

Australia's African Energy Resources is still in the bidding. The company plans to spin off its coal operations into an unlisted entity.

Minergy, which owns the country's only operating privately-owned coal mine, has also said it will go ahead with the bid.

Botswana aims to increase renewable energy's share of its electricity to 18% from the current 2% over the next 20 years, and the coal plant is its only currently planned fossil fuel based power project.

Edited by Reuters

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

ALBIS FLANGES (Pty) Ltd
ALBIS FLANGES (Pty) Ltd

ALBIS FLANGES — founded in 1965 — is a petro-chemical approved manufacturer of flanges and fittings in most grades of steel, listed with Sasol,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Sulzer Pumps (SA) (Pty) Ltd
Sulzer Pumps (SA) (Pty) Ltd

Sulzer South Africa, established in 1922, partners with critical industries like power, oil & gas, water, mining, and chemicals to boost...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







301

sq:0.056 0.898s - 140pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now