Vele

Map indicating location of Vele properties

Ownership
100%
Location
Limpopo Province, South Africa, 48km west of Musina
Infrastructure
  • Electricity supply secured from Eskom
  • Host properties have existing water uses which have been transferred to the mining operation
  • Accessible via existing tarred road network; initially the coal will be transported by truck to a rail siding (approximately 40km from Vele) until rail links have been completed
  • Extensive engagement with Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) to create capacity for domestic and export capacity
Resource
362.5Mt mineable tonnes in situ (MTIS) as classified under Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC)
Mining method
Opencast for 16 years, and underground mining thereafter
Product
Dual production; semi-soft coking with the option for either thermal export or middlings coal
Permit status
  • New Order Mining Right (NOMR) approved and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) executed in March 2010
  • Integrated Water Use Licence (IWUL) granted in May 2011 but has been suspended due to an appeal to the Water Tribunal submitted by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) coalition in July 2011 – the minister lifted the suspension of the licence on 19 October 2011
  • Compliance notice lifted on 5 July 2011
Key highlights
  • The mine reached an important milestone, achieving 1,000 fatality-free production shifts, at the beginning of December 2012.
  • A plant expansion at Vele is planned to process the discard from the semi-soft coking coal product through a second-stage wash process to produce either an export-grade thermal coal or an Eskom middlings. This expansion will enable the simultaneous production of products, increased qualities and yields through the improvement of recoveries.
    • Phase 1 will allow for the dewatering of the ultra-fines product by installing filter presses; eliminating the need for the temporary slurry pond and Phase 2 incudes the installation of a permanent front-end crushing facility and dual-product thermal and coking-coal plant module.

VELE PROFILE

Integrated report 2016
22 NOVEMBER 2016
CREATING SUSTAINABLE VALUE THROUGH MINING FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS
Section 24G
EMC Annual Report 2012
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