Keeping its mobile equipment operators comfortable in hot, cold or dusty conditions is a priority for a South African coal miner so it has renewed its man-on-site HVAC maintenance contract with Booyco Engineering for another three years.

According to Booyco Engineering Managing Director Brenton Spies, the performance of HVAC systems is operationally and legally critical for companies wanting to optimise their uptime and production levels. Regular maintenance by specialised technicians can make sure that mobile equipment owners can achieve this vital goal, says Spies.

“The conditions on many South African mines are demanding – especially the variations in temperature and the high levels of dust,” he says. “For this reason, the law requires that working conditions do not present any physical hazards to operators – including extreme temperatures.”

He highlights that underperforming HVAC equipment can result in a contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act – as driver cabs have extensive window space for improved visibility. This exposes operators to considerable heat in summer, he explains, and cold in winter – as the windows provide little insulation from ambient temperatures outside.

“Our man-on-site contract with this surface coal mining operation gives the customer three of our trained and experienced technicians – with vehicles – who work on the mine site to ensure ongoing maintenance is conducted,” says Spies. “This includes maintenance of the equipment’s air conditioners at intervals of 500 hours, 1,000 hours, 2,000 hours and 4,000 hours.”

Regular cleaning of HVAC systems is also important, as mines are dusty environments where these installations can be quickly blocked up by fine particles. Cleaning ensures not only better machine uptime, but also prolongs the lifespan of the HVAC system.

“In addition to the valuable preventative maintenance that the man-on-site arrangement allows, the technicians can also attend to any unexpected HVAC breakdowns on production equipment,” he explains. “To comply with strict health and safety regulations on mines, these technicians have passed all the mine’s medical requirements and have pit licences to drive their vehicles to where they are required – without undue delay.”

The technicians on the contract have more than 15 years of collective experience with the company, and are equipped with necessary Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Academy (ACRA) accreditations, as well as being certified for the safe handling of gases. They are also provided with the lifecycle analysis of each component in the HVAC systems on site, to enhance the impact and efficiency of their work.

“By having a specialist on site, a mine has someone who can focus on the HVAC aspects of the mission critical mobile equipment,” concludes Spies. “This allows the mine to focus on the business of mining.”

Menar MD Vuslat Bayoglu raised concerns about SA’s ability to afford an overhaul of the power system to suit renewables, at a time when the GDP growth rate has dropped to 0.4%. Bayoglu spoke during a panel discussion at the Coal and Energy Transition Day conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 18 July.

Amongst available baseload suppliers, hydrogen is rated at as the most expensive at an estimated cost of US$239 per MWh, followed by nuclear power at US$225 per MWh, while coal is about US$74 per MWh, gas is about US$94 per MWh. “Renewable energy is the most expensive resource,” he said.

South Africa’s priority should be closing the gap between rich and poor and providing jobs. “Coal is the country’s third biggest employer in the mining sector with more than 90 000 employment opportunities already created. We have the potential to create more jobs through coal,” said Bayoglu. “Solar panels are produced in China, and we do not produce wind turbines in South Africa. But when a coal mine is opened, we can employ between 400-800 people.”

The Just Energy Transition plan states that R648 billion would be needed for the 2023-2027 period to integrate green energy resources and reduce coal usage. Bayoglu noted that it was not clear where the funds would come from.

“Despite the challenges coal’s resilient nature will see it evolve and maintain its position as a significant contributor to the world’s energy mix. Eskom needs to invest in clean coal technology through retrofitting or building power stations with carbon capture functionality to support reliable energy supply,” he adds.

Bayoglu emphasised that the government needs to enhance private sector involvement, cut the red tape, and take decisive action in resolving the Transnet challenges.

Edenville Energy updated the market on production at its Rukwa Coal Project in Tanzania, reporting that 594 tonnes of coal were washed at Rukwa in March.

The AIM-traded firm said of that, 512.5 tonnes of coal was washed between 20 and 31 March, due to improved weather conditions and operational performance of the wash plant.

It said it had established a “substantial” stockpile of run-of-mine coal, but the subsequent washing of the coal was hampered by its moisture content due to the ongoing rainy season in Tanzania.

However, the wash plant was able to operate for at least four hours per day on six occasions during the second half of March, which enabled it to average more than 10 tonnes per hour of throughput and achieve the company’s target production rate of 2,500 tonnes per month of washed coal.

Edenville said it expected washed coal figures to continue to be volatile during April, but it added that it was encouraged by the results and evidence suggesting that Rukwa would be able to deliver on its initial production targets after the end of the rainy season, typically in May in Tanzania.

As it previously reported, the company had agreed to supply 2,000 tonnes of washed coal per month at a pre-transport price of $98 per tonne from June.

Additionally, Edenville said it was exploring the possibility of bringing an additional wash plant to Rukwa due to ongoing discussions with potential customers that had indicated demand for an additional 8,000 to 10,000 tonnes per month of washed coal.

The firm said it was also exploring non-equity avenues of funding to acquire an additional wash plant.

It had also identified an additional accessible coal seam at Rukwa, which could potentially increase the project’s potential.

“Performance at Rukwa during the second half of March was much improved and suggested we have the potential to achieve our initial and contracted base case production target of 2,500 tonnes per month once the rainy season concludes,” said chief executive officer Noel Lyons.

“Confirmation that when the plant is able to operate it is doing so at a rate that will achieve these levels of production is very encouraging.”

Lyons said there were also other areas where the company would continue to target improvements, noting that work at site had also identified a further potential seam to be mined.

“Additionally, in conjunction with the work at Rukwa, we remain focused on securing potential new and exciting coal opportunities.”

Multotec Services Mozambique Lda, recently celebrated 10 years of operating in the Southern African country, where it established a branch to service clients in the coal fields in the Tete Province. In addition, the company also services clients involved in graphite, mineral sands and precious stone mining in other parts of the country.

Multotec Services Mozambique is a subsidiary of The Multotec Group, which is headquartered in South Africa and has, for the past 50 years, helped the world’s biggest mining houses process minerals more efficiently, effectively, and reliably. Multotec’s mineral processing equipment is used to optimise recoveries and reduce cost of ownership in mineral processing plants in 100 countries on six continents. In addition to its activities in Mozambique, the company provides plant maintenance to a platinum mining client in Zimbabwe, as required, via a contract from the Multotec Group in South Africa.

Coal project opportunities

“The Mozambique branch was initially established to harness the opportunities presented by the coal projects which were getting off the ground from 2010. Establishing a local presence allowed us to be closer to our clients to offer timely and better service,” says Multotec Services Mozambique Branch Manager, Kumbirai Mapingire.

Ground-breaking for the site was done in November 2011, and civil works commenced immediately, followed by the erection of the workshop as well as the construction of the houses and the perimeter walls. This was completed by the end of July 2012. The branch then officially commenced operations at the beginning of October 2012 after all the relevant permits were issued. From its humble beginnings with only two employees, the branch now employs 55 local people.

Mapingire says that Multotec Services Mozambique provides turnkey mineral processing solutions to customers across the country, from supplying, maintaining and condition monitoring its full range of processing equipment, to the fabrication of various steel components, such as chutes, pipes, and ceramic-lined cyclone parts.

Expanding the facilities

“Recently, we built the new ceramic workshop, meaning that the facilities now cover an area of 1.5Ha, which includes a workshop, ceramic tiling shop, sandblasting unit and painting shop.”

“Besides being of great benefit to the employees as they now have a better facility to work from, the new facilities have increased the capacity for handling the tiling projects and all the processes are now being done in-house. This means the turnaround time for refurbishment has been improved to the benefit of all their clients”, Mapingire elaborates.

The company has a variety of heavy-duty equipment that it uses for fabrication of mineral processing solutions, including a hydraulic press brake, a cone plate roller, a steel plate roller, a hydraulic swing beam, six hydraulic HDPE welding machines, a fixed sandblasting unit and a mobile sandblasting unit.

Mapingire explains that an additional, albeit smaller line of Multotec Services Mozambique’s business is pipe fabrication, with the company occasionally embarking on projects for the fabrication and installation of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) piping systems.

“We were the supplier of choice at a project at a mine in Chirodzi, where we did all the piping for the plant when the mine was first established. Since then, we have done several other pipe installations at this operation, including waterlines and slurry lines. We have also carried out HDPE piping projects for several other clients,” he says.

Mapingire comments that he is proud of Multotec Services Mozambique’s safety record, as the company operates strictly in adherence to mining health and safety regulations. “As a result, we have not recorded any injuries since we started operating in Mozambique.”

Competitive edge

Mapingire explains that Multotec Services Mozambique’s operations are backed by technical support from the head office in South Africa. However, the company’s local presence gives it a competitive edge in terms of servicing clients in Mozambique, as it is able to bring Multotec’s large-scale expertise and experience, as well as world-class equipment and products to the local market.

“The recognition that we receive from our clients comes in the form of repeat business. We benchmark ourselves against the fact that our clients keep coming back to do business with us, wanting the service that we have been giving them all these years,” he explains.

Mapingire notes that the company invests in the wider socio-economic environment to enhance, uplift, and strengthen the communities that its employees, clients and suppliers come from.

To this end, Mapingire says Multotec Services Mozambique is currently working closely with local government in Tete Province to identify areas where it can launch projects that will ultimately assist communities in the long run. We are currently engaging with the local government to identify projects pertaining to issues such as the eradication of malaria, the supply of clean water or the provision of school materials to the communities in which we operate,” he concludes.

Continuing a spate of new global enrolments, the World Coal Association (WCA) yesterday welcomed South African mining investor, Menar, to its roster of progressive coal members.

On the sidelines of Mining Indaba in Cape Town, WCA CEO, Michelle Manook, formalised Menar’s WCA membership with Menar Chairman, Mpumelelo Mkhabela, and Menar Managing Director, Vuslat Bayoglu, saying coal was entering a new age of abatement which would ensure that coal survives and thrives for decades to come.

“World events have shown how special and indispensable all energy resources are – especially coal. We can’t afford to gamble on singular nor secondary energy solutions when reliable, affordable, abated fuels resources are available.

“Coal has entered a new and future age of abatement which allows up to 99% of all coal emissions to be eliminated through technologies and processes which can deliver Paris targets and prosperity. Our members know this and want to share that commitment to energy excellence.”

WCA Chairman, July Ndlovu said the world has been plagued by a plethora of unprecedented energy challenges and it is clear that these are not going away anytime soon.

“We desperately need energy security in an insecure world. If the past year has taught us anything it’s that coal remains is one of the best placed fuels to provide the energy security and sustainable strength that the world needs.

“With the wide sweeping clean technology available and a new breed of coal participants like Menar signing on to an abated coal future, we are in a good position to create a reliable, resilient energy system which uses coal to deliver economic development, climate change goals, and truly sustainable development outcomes.”

Mr Mkhabela said that as a private investment company with a growing portfolio of diverse mining assets. Menar has a demonstrable commitment to skills and enterprise development, local procurement and employment.

“We understand coal’s need to transform alongside the need to keep economies developing and peoples’ lives improving. Coal is the bridge between all sustainable outcomes.”

Menar Managing Director, Vuslat Bayoglu, said the good coal story is too often overlooked and this needs to be rectified. Coal remains the mainstay of steel production which creates the wind turbines, solar panels and battery storage which underpin renewable energy.

“I have said on numerous occasions that until countries can manufacture steel, cement and aluminium without coal, we need to be practical and accept coal’s current contribution to a decarbonised future.

“Looking forward, we want to be part of a fully abated coal future where participants across the whole coal value chain are playing their part to eliminate emissions, increase economic value and create sustainable social capital. That future needs to be better understood and that is why we are joining the WCA and its alliance of like-minded members committed to Future Coal.”

Ms Manook said Menar joins Seriti and Exxaro as new South African WCA members committed to modernising coal as a multifaceted, abated fuel of the future.

Canyon Coal, a subsidiary of private investment company Menar, is constructing a new coal mine in Hendrina, Mpumalanga. Production is expected to start in the second half of 2023.

The first phase of the Gugulethu project, on track to be completed in 8-10 months, is expected to produce 1.2 million t/y of 5 500 kc NAR coal. “We are in the development phase and have already done the tenders for the civils and the processing plant. Our mining equipment has started to arrive,” states Gugulethu Colliery GM Jarmi Steyn.

Formerly known as De Wittekrans, Gugulethu is a greenfield project located southeast of Hendrina that Canyon bought out of business rescue. Phase 1 of the project holds an economically mineable reserve of 14.3 million tons of run-of-mine (RoM) coal. It comprises of three pits, one of which has been specifically designed to gain access to the underground reserve, as part of Phase 2.

This fully licensed project has a life of mine of over 20 years based on a RoM production of about 2.4 million tons a year from the opencast section. The underground sections, which will commence operations in 2028 after the completion of the open cast reserve, will sustain production of 2.4 million tons a year.

The commissioning of the processing plant is scheduled towards the end of 2023. The transfer of the plant from the depleted Hakhano mine – Canyon’s first opencast colliery – for re-assembly at Gugulethu has begun.

Total investment earmarked to develop the mine is over R1.4 billion. Canyon Coal will invest R600 million in Phase 1 of the project. The development of the underground mining section will require a further R890 million.

Gugulethu’s product will be trucked some 43 km to the Rietkuil siding for transportation to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal in KwaZulu-Natal.

All of Canyon Coal’s export allocation at the terminal is in use but the capacity for Gugulethu’s tonnages will free up when the company’s 1.4 million ton-a-year Phalanndwa Colliery in Delmas is closed later this year when it reaches the end of its life. Canyon exports some of its products through Grindrod’s Terminal de Carvao da Matola (TCM) port in Maputo.

The construction of Gugulethu’s opencast will create more than 200 jobs, with a priority given to residents of the host community. In total, the mine will create 430 jobs when it is fully operational.

Steyn says her first goal for the Gugulethu Colliery is to ensure it is developed safely within schedule and budget. “Then along with the team, I want to see it become a flagship site for Canyon Coal in terms of regulatory compliance and production performance, obviously to ensure maximised stakeholder and shareholder value,” Steyn states.

She notes that all the operations that she has previously managed and completed were already operational when she joined. But Gugulethu is special for her because she will oversee its execution from the beginning. “The project management portion thereof I look forward to as well as collaborating with the team to ensure the right things are done the first time around,” Steyn concludes.