Name of the Project
Boikarabelo coal project.

Location
Waterberg region in Limpopo, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Ledjadja Coal Limited (LCL), in which energy company Resource Generation (Resgen) has 74% shares held through wholly owned subsidiary Resgen Africa Holdings (RAHL).

Project Description
The Boikarabelo coal reserves were estimated at 267.1-million tonnes as at June 30, 2018.

The Boikarabelo coal seam is between 20 m and 30 m below the surface, allowing for low-cost, opencut mining. The seam is between 100 m and 120 m thick, with zones of varying-quality thermal and soft coking coal.

In February 2016, Resgen implemented a revised mine plan. This followed a technical review of the geological model by its technical committee comprising in-house and external experts, who suggested that the revised plan could achieve more than previously expected. The plan is based on selective mining and in-pit dumping to maximise productivity, reduce operating costs and minimise any environmental impact.

The company also implemented a project execution strategy, which transfers mine construction risk, through the appointment of a small number of reputable engineering, procurement and construction contractors with substantial balance sheets, which will allow for recourse in the event of failure or delay.

The mine will be developed using a two-phased approach to limit upfront capital expenditure.

Stage 1 will deliver about 15-million tonnes of run-of-mine coal a year, which will equate to about six-million tonnes of product coal. Of this, about 3.6-million tonnes will be exported and about 2.4-million tonnes will be used domestically.

Stage 2 will involve ramping up production to 12-million tonnes of product thermal coal. It is estimated that fully funded Phase 2 construction and production will not begin before 2025.

The project includes a 44 km rail link to the existing rail network.

To expand the Boikarabelo project’s economic base, a bankable feasibility study on a potential 300 MW independent mine-mouth power station will be completed once the Boikarabelo mine has been commissioned.
 
Potential Job Creation
The project is expected to create 2 500 jobs in the construction phase and 709 full-time jobs.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an internal rate of return of 17%.

Capital Expenditure
The estimated capital cost for the project is $300-million.

Planned Start/End Date
First coal deliveries are scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022.

Latest Developments
Resgen has announced that Noble Resources International will no longer provide loan funding for the company’s partially owned subsidiary Ledjadja Coal.

The company had reached an in-principle agreement with Noble in mid-March to provide additional working capital for Ledjadja, in the form of an extension to a facility agreement between the companies reached in March 2014.

The agreement would have extended the facility agreement by up to an additional $993 000, bringing the total facility to $51-million. The extension of funds would have been made available in three instalments to cover an austerity operating budget for the period until May 31.

The first tranche of this additional working capital had been provided by Noble in March, but subsequent advances for April and May have been suspended.

Resgen has confirmed that it has entered into urgent discussions and is considering all options, including the appointment of administrators.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Digby Wells Environmental (mining right application, mine-waste licence, environmental authorisation process for power plant); Sedgman (design, engineering, procurement and construction contract for the coal handling preparation plant, the ongoing operation and maintenance of the plant, and construction of the ancillary works pertaining to the infrastructure of the mine); RCE (rail design and construction, engineering, procurement and construction management, or EPCM, services); NuWater (water EPCM services); EHL Energy (transmission lines), Stefanutti Stocks (preferred mining contractor), Stefanutti Stocks Road and Earthworks (rail earthworks and bridges) and Transnet Freight Rail (ballast, track and signalling).

Contact Details for Project Information
Resgen, tel +27 11 010 6310, fax +27 86 539 3792 or email info@resgen.com.au.