[miningmx.com] — SOUTH Africa’s coal exports rose to 5.36 million tonnes in September from 4.16 million tonnes in the same month last year, boosted by higher deliveries by logistics group Transnet, Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) data showed.
The figure compares with 5.45 million tonnes shipped in August.
Stocks at the terminal stood at 4.3 million tonnes at the end of September, RBCT said.
South Africa is a major exporter of coal to power stations in Europe and Asia, but state-owned logistics group Transnet has been struggling to transport by rail all the material destined for exports due to bottlenecks on its line.
Transnet has been investing heavily in new and improved infrastructure and has transported by rail a record 6.2 million tonnes to RBCT in September, but is still far from meeting an expanded annual capacity at the export terminal of 91 million tonnes.
South Africa exported 61 million tonnes of coal last year, and Transnet said it could ship up to 65 million tonnes this year, despite a three-week strike that crippled ports and railways in May.
Companies in the coal sector include Anglo American, Xstrata, Optimum Coal and Exxaro.
