JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Riversdale Mining has initiated pilot scale coking tests for its Benga coking coal project, located in Mozambique, with steel giant Tata.

“Coking results continue to confirm that the quality of the Benga coking coals will be equal to the best coking coals sold in the market today. This reaffirms our belief that Mozambique will become a key coking coal supplier to steel mills globally,” said Riversdale MD Steve Mallyon.

Preliminary results indicated that the Benga coking coals would be premium hard-coking coals. A coke strength after reaction (CSR) of 71 was produced from the first Benga coke. This indicated the potential for these coking coals to be ‘premium-hard’ coking coals.

Future results were expected to vary by seam and spatially commensurate with the observed changes in the coal rank. However, Riversdale stated that the results were indicative of the potential of the Benga coking coals.

The coke testing programme was being conducted in Australia.

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