JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has granted Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) environmental authorisation for a stream diversion and other infrastructural activities at its Vele colliery, in Limpopo.
The company is still awaiting the approval of an integrated water use licence (IWUL) from the Department of Water and Sanitation, which is the final regulatory approval required for the stream diversion in respect of the Vele plant modification project (PMP).
The PMP is aimed at expanding and modifying the existing processing plant at Vele to overcome historical operational efficiencies that prevented the mine from producing the five-million tonnes a year of coal originally anticipated.
“We welcome this decision by the DMR, and look forward to the receipt of the IWUL. Upon receipt thereof, the final decision to proceed with the PMP will be placed before the board, which will include an assessment of forecast global coal prices,” CEO David Brown noted in a statement on Monday.