SOUTH Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has approved the Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the Makhado thermal and hard coking coal project, said MC Mining, the Johannesburg-listed firm developing the project.
In January 2018, the company applied to both the DMR and the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) for an amendment to Makhado’s 2016 EA, allowing for the transport of coal to the Musina rail siding by road. The approval by the DMR follows confirmation, on 3 September 2018, that LEDET has approved the EA amendment, the company said.
Shares in MC Mining were more than a fifth higher on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on September 10, an improvement that David Brown, CEO of MC Mining, said was a function of the good news flow from the company in recent weeks.
On September 6, it announced it had signed a heads of agreements with China Railway International Group (CRIG) which may lead to the Chinese firm providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) to Makhado.
Located in the Limpopo province, Makhado is expected to cost about $80m to develop and is expected to be a major provider of employment and commercial activity in an area where industrial development is uncommon.
