THE SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE | VOLUME 2 | 2020
PROJECT
Relocating Matla Mine 1 Following 42 years of operating at Matla Mine, Exxaro Resources’ executive decided to relocate the Mine 1 operation, which has been on care and maintenance since 2016, due to safety concerns. By Dineo Phoshoko
T
he Matla Mine 1 relocation project is a capital project of Eskom at Exxaro’s Matla Mine, which involves the construction of a new decline shaft to gain access to the remaining economical two-seam coal reserves. The relocation project also includes plans to supply Mine 1 with five complete suites of underground continuous mining equipment and equipment used to construct supporting infrastructure, interseams between Mine 2 and Mine 3, and a ventilation shaft to supply fresh air to Mine 3’s future production areas. The project commenced in August 2020 and is expected to be completed during the second half of 2023.
Resources and reserves Speaking to Inside Mining magazine, Johan Meyer, executive head: Projects and Technology, Exxaro, explains that below the Matla Power Station lies a lot of coal that is accessed by three main shafts. From these shafts, Matla Mine is able to produce 10 million tonnes at a consistent quality of 19.5 CV (calorific value), which is required to feed the power station in order for it to produce the required energy output. Due to the history of the mine, it has become far to travel to the mining front. “The mining front at that point in time was around 25 km from the entrance of the current Mine 1. So, it’s best to move the shaft closer in proximity owing to this distance and obviously from a safety point of view,” Meyer says. In addition to addressing health and safety concerns, the relocation project will bring the shaft closer to mining activities, which is more efficient than travelling 25 km underground before arriving at the coal face. Meyer adds that the move of Mine 1 is closer to where the coal is, but still within the vicinity of the Matla Power Station. As such, the mine can continue to feed the power station from the conveyor systems below the ground.
The new Matla Mine 1 site has abundant coal reserves
(Credit: Exxaro)
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