Where We Operate

Thungela owns interests in, and produces, its thermal coal predominantly from seven mining operations. These are amongst the highest quality thermal coal mines in South Africa by calorific value. We export our thermal coal portfolio mainly to the Indian, Asian, SEA, Middle East and North African markets.

Our operations

The Group owns interests in seven mining operations in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

Zibulo Colliery

The Zibulo Colliery operates both underground and opencast operations located about 100 km east of Johannesburg and approximately 60 km south west of eMalahleni in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

The Zibulo Colliery was formed in 2010 and is operated as a company in which the Group, through AAIC, has a 73% interest with the remaining 27% interest held by Inyosi Coal, a B-BBEE consortium.

The underground operation is a mechanised bord and pillar mining operation. The underground targets the extraction of the No. 2 seam. Surface operations consist of a truck and shovel open cast operation operated by contractors targeting the No. 2 and No. 4 seams.

Coal mined at Zibulo underground is transported via overland conveyor to the Phola Coal Processing Plant (PCPP) with the surface operations delivering coal to the PCPP by road. The PCPP is a 50/50 joint operation between Anglo American Inyosi Coal (AAIC) and South 32 Limited.

Zibulo produces a premium product for sale into the export market.

Greenside Colliery

The Greenside colliery is an underground thermal coal mine located about 120 km east of Johannesburg and approximately 15 km southeast of eMalahleni in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

The colliery was established during the Second World War. It was one of the largest underground collieries in the area supplying thermal coal to both the export and domestic market.

Greenside Colliery targets the extraction of the No. 4 seam to produce coal for supply into the export and domestic markets. The mine uses mechanised bord and pillar mining to exploit the coal. The shallowness of the No. 4 seam enables a high extraction rate and thus increased productivity.

The colliery currently operates three coal processing plants, one to wash raw, primary mined coal (No. 4 seam plant), one to primary wash discard material from the mineral residue deposits (No. 5 seam plant) and a plant that treats the ultrafine material from the No. 4 seam plant. The No. 4 seam plant is fed with material mined from the five underground mining areas. This plant produces a primary export product and a lower quality 4,800 kcal/kg product. Product qualities are changed from time to time dependent on market demand. The mineral residue deposit reclamation produces a product for consumption in the domestic market.

Export product is conveyed to the rail load-out terminal which is situated approximately 2.5km northeast of the mine and shared with the Khwezela Colliery. Domestic product is sold into the market through third party operators.

Goedehoop Colliery

The Goedehoop Colliery is an underground thermal coal mine located about 165 km east of Johannesburg and approximately 40 km southeast of eMalahleni in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

The Goedehoop Colliery was formed in 2005 following the combination of two existing Group-owned collieries: Bank Colliery (now known as Goedehoop North) and the original Goedehoop Colliery (now known as Goedehoop South). Post combination in 2005, thermal coal was mined underground from four shafts and two mini-pits. No mining takes place today at the Goedehoop South area.

All mining in Goedehoop North focusses on the No. 2 and No. 4 seam extraction in the underground environment.

Goedehoop North operates a coal preparation plant to produce a single product for the export market. The export quality product is conveyed to silos and then to a load-out silo at the rapid load-out terminal for transportation to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal.

Khwezela Colliery

The Khwezela Colliery is an open cast thermal coal mine located about 120 km east of Johannesburg and approximately 22 km south west of eMalahleni in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

The Colliery was formed in 2016 through a merger of the mining operations of the Kleinkopje and Landau collieries.

The Colliery consists of two distinct open cast operations, Khwezela North and Khwezela South. Current mining operations are focused on the Navigation area in Khwezela North. The Bokgoni pit in Khwezela South, is currently on care and maintenance. Mining utilises draglines, and truck and shovel equipment focusing on the extraction of the No. 2 seam on the property.

The Colliery has two coal handling processing plants operated by the mine, one at the navigation pits and the other at the Bokgoni Pit. Khwezela is evaluating life extension options to extend the mine life beyond the current plan.

Khwezela Colliery produces coal for both the export and domestic markets.

 

Mafube Colliery

The Mafube Colliery is an open cast thermal coal mine located approximately 30 km east of Middelburg in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

The Colliery was formed in 2004 and is operated by Mafube Coal Mining as a 50/50 joint operation between the Group and Exxaro Mining.

The Mafube Colliery consists of several open cast pit areas with current extraction focused on the Nooitgedacht Pit. Mining is undertaken through a combination of contractor and owner operated fleets. Contractor operations utilise truck and shovel fleets to remove the topsoil and weathered portions of the overburden. Coal extraction undertaken at the mine utilises the mine's fleet. Mining at Mafube focuses on extraction of the No. 2 seam on the property.

Coal extracted from Nooitgedacht is crushed and screened and then transported by overland conveyor to the Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP). The CHPP has the capacity to treat 6 MTPA to produce an export quality product, a middling’s product, and discard material. The middling product can be sold into the export market. The saleable product is transported from the CHPP to the rail load-out terminal via a 14km overland conveyor for transport to port.

Isibonelo Colliery

The Isibonelo Colliery is an open cast thermal coal mine located approximately 150km east of Johannesburg and 90km south of eMalahleni in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

The Isibonelo Colliery was opened in 2005. It took over the infrastructure associated with the Syferfontein Colliery in 2005.

The Isibonelo Colliery consists of two open cast pits with mining focusing on the No. 4 seam. Mining takes place utilising draglines and truck and shovel equipment.

The Colliery does not have a coal preparation plant and all raw coal is crushed, screened and analysed. Crushed and screened coal is transported via conveyoer from the mine by a 22km conveyor to the Sasol Synfuels stockyard.

Coal produced at this mine is supplied to Sasol Synfuels under a Coal Supply Agreement and based on current mine plans operations are expected to cease in 2026.

Rietvlei Colliery

The Rietvlei Colliery is a small-scale truck and shovel open cast mine located approximately 27 km north-east of Middelburg, between Stofberg and Middelburg, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

The Rietvlei Colliery is operated by the Rietvlei Mining Company, in which the Group owns an effective 34% interest through its approximate 67% shareholding in Butsanani Energy Investment Holdings, an entity which was created to facilitate enterprise development by identifying junior coal mining operations and companies in South Africa to collaborate with. Construction of the Rietvlei Colliery commenced in November 2018 with its first coal sales delivered in March 2019.

The Colliery consists of a single strip cut of over 1.5km with several low wall access ramps. All mining activity at the Colliery is undertaken by contractors utilising truck and shovel equipment.

The thermal coal produced at the Rietvlei Colliery is sold exclusively under contract to Eskom, the national electricity supplier in South Africa, power generation at several nearby coal-fired power stations. This Colliery is the only mine within the Group to supply thermal coal directly and exclusively to Eskom.

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