Reuters is reporting that Botswana has commissioned a new 1.4 million tpy coal mine at the state-owned Morupule Coal Mine (MCM).
President Mokgweetsi Masisi formally announced the commissioning, the aim of which is to increase Botswana’s coal exports in response to spikes in demand due to the war in Ukraine.
According to Reuters, despite the country’s estimated 212 billion t of coal resources, MCM was its only operating mine until Minergy Ltd commissioned a new 1.2 million tpy capacity project in 2019.
The newly commissioned opencast mine will reportedly add 50% to MCM’s output (up to 4.2 million tpy). The mine will form part of Botswana’s strategy to export a total of 7.6 million tpy of coal in 2027, in the short term growing revenue from 1 billion to 3 billion pula (US$222.6 million) in 2023.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/30092022/botswana-boosts-coal-exports-with-new-mine/
