JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – A second operation in the Waterberg coalfield, where mining major Exxaro’s Grootegeluk colliery was currently the only producing mine, had to come to the party to meet the country’s future needs, PC Meyer Consulting exploration geologist Peet Meyer said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a symposium hosted by the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, in Johannesburg, he said the Witbank coalfield was nearing the end of its life, thus, creating the need for alternative sources of coal.

Currently, the Witbank coalfield accounted for 52.3% of South Africa’s total coal production, followed by the Highveld coalfield at 29.5% and the Sasol–Vereeniging coalfield at 7.6%.

“There will be one last big project [in Witbank] and that would be the resurrection of the New Largo coal mine, which has been earmarked to supply [parastatal] Eskom’s 4 800 MW Kusile power station, under construction in Mpumalanga,” Meyer said.

However, the country’s next main coal activity would definitely take place in the Ellisras basin, which included the Waterberg coalfield.

“Ellisras is going to happen and the Waterberg needs to happen,” Meyer said, adding that there had been much talk about the area since 2006 and that it was important for someone else to start to be successful there.

“Exxaro is still the only company operating [in the Waterberg]. They have the big Matimba power station on their doorstep and they have the contract for the Medupi power station, so they are comfortable,” he said.

However, it was important that a second operation started exporting or locally supplying coal from the coalfields, Meyer noted, adding that, in his opinion, the first company to achieve this would probably be ASX- and JSE-listed Resource Generation, which owned the Boikarabelo project, in Limpopo.

South African Coal Roadmap chairperson Ian Hall last week also stated the importance of developing the Waterberg coalfields.

“New coal mines are urgently required and, just to keep the lights on, it is prudent to start development of infrastructure to the Waterberg,” he said.