Monthly Archives: November 2013

Approximately 40%  of our coal is derived from opencast operations.  Several of these opencast operations have recovery rates of nearly  90%.  Coal lying less than 70 metres below the surface is extracted from a progressive series of parallel, long, narrow trenches. Overburden rock and soil lying above the coal seam is scraped and blasted  out Continue Reading

For centuries now coal has been man’s main source of heat  and energy.  However, coal suffered a huge decline in the industrial age, when the oil industry took over and the world opted for liquid fuels.  Adding to this decline was the fact that gaseous fuels, initially the by-product of oil, also grew in importance.  Continue Reading

Over 90% of greenhouse-gas emissions from coal (According to the World Coal Institute) take place during combustion.  As a result, modern interventions, such as clean- coal technologies, are being developed.  In some cases, clean-coal technologies have already been implemented in the effort to mitigate the environmental consequences of coal combustion. South Africa’s remaining coal reserves Continue Reading

South Africa produces well over  255 million tonnes of coal annually and uses approximately three quarters of that locally. Roughly 77% of South Africa’s energy requirements are derived from coal and 92% of coal consumed on the African continent is produced here in South Africa. The use of coal in South Africa dates back to the Continue Reading