[miningmx.com] – COAL from Exxaro Resources’ Grootegeluk mine in South Africa’s Limpopo province, was supplied to Eskom’s Matimba power station using stockpiles following heavy rains in March.
The R49.8bn coal, mineral sands and iron ore mining group said that at their worst, the rains reduced Grootgeluk’s output to 70% of its 18.8 million tonne a year (mtpa) capacity. Grootegeluk supplies about 14mtpa of thermal coal to Matimba.
Exxaro Resources spokesman, Hilton Atkinson, said the mine’s lowest levels remain flooded, but added that “the full suite” of Grootegeluk’s products were being mined from the higher benches.
A Miningmx reader asked how Exxaro Resources would deal with the excess water which was contaminated. “The water remaining in the pit is being used as processing water in the beneficiation plant,” said Atkinson.
This has negated the need for the mine to draw any raw water from its normal source, the Mokolo Dam. “The mine is situated in a low rainfall area of the country and accumulating water in the pit sump forms part of the normal operating practice, thereby reducing raw water consumption from the Mokolo Dam,” he said.
Mining published photographs of Grootegeluk in which its workings appeared to be completely flooded following higher than average rainfall in March. Exxaro Resources said that at its peak, rainfall was 230mm in a single day.
This exceeded the flood designs at the mine and, therefore, led to the flooding of the pit bottom. Images showed that plant had been stranded, but Atkinson said “sound water and flood controls” saw the mine resume normal production levels.
“Production fell to 70% of normal levels at 14 March during the worst of the rains, however, since then production has steadily increased and over the past few days it has returned to normal,” said Atkinson.
“There has been no material impact on the supply of coal to the Matimba power station nor to other customers, including the export market. This is due to the availability of sufficient stockpiles which were used,” he said.
“The lowest benches remain flooded and this is being treated as the mine’s pit sump. Production of the full suite of Grootegeluk products is currently taking place from higher benches,” he said.
South Africa suffered 12 hours of national load-shedding on March 6 after wet coal was supplied to Eskom’s Kendal power station which rendered the installation’s conveyors inoperable. Eskom said an investigation into the supply of wet coal was underway, the details of which remained confidential.
