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About SA coalfields

South Africa is blessed with abundant supplies of readily–extractable coal in widely–separated coal provinces stretching interruptedly from the border with Botswana in the north–west, through the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces and into KwaZulu–Natal in the east. These coal provinces are themselves divided into distinct coalfields in which most of the commercially mineable resources are contained in the Permian–aged Vryheid formations of the Ecca Group.

Most of the country’s coal is currently mined in the Highveld, Witbank and Ermelo coalfields located in Mpumalanga province. Geology has determined that the Witbank coalfield is by far the most important source of South Africa’s mined coal at present. However, the Waterberg deposits, which extend into Botswana, are widely expected to become the country’s principal future coal resource, particularly as this is the region expected to be home to many of the next generation of thermal power stations.

Waterberg Coalfield

Grootgeluk is the only colliery currently operating in the Waterberg field, based on a resource estimated at 12.1 billion tons. It produces some 38 million tons of run–of–mine material each year of which some 18.8 million tons are saleable product and the rest waste. Of Grootgeluk’s saleable coal, 14.7 million tons are delivered under long–term contract to Eskom each year, 1.7 million tons of metallurgical coal are sold domestically on short–term contracts, 1.6 million tons of coking coal are delivered on long–term contracts to Mittal’s South African steel mills and 1.1 million tons of coking and thermal coal are exported.

Highveld Coalfield

Only one of the Highveld coalfield’s five coal seams is laterally continuous and economically important. Furthermore, the coal measures tend to be adversely affected by dolerite sills and dykes, that can make mining difficult and that have affected the quality of the coal.

Witbank Coalfield

All five of the major coal seams extend across the coalfield and are relatively un–deformed by geological action. The extensive exploitation of the coalfield – some 55 collieries are currently in operation – has resulted in the area being well–served by efficient coal transportation and other infrastructure. This, in turn, has resulted in seams that are uneconomic elsewhere becoming economic.

Ermelo Coalfield

While the Ermelo coalfield in south east Mpumalanga is less prolific than its Witbank counterpart, it is attractive as the major junction of the export rail lines linking the inland coalfields to Richards Bay is in the town of Ermelo. In addition, the Majuba power station buys in all of its coal locally while Eskom’s previously–mothballed Camden power station will need an annual 6 million tons of coal when it is re–commissioned.

Utrecht and Klip River Coalfields

Production from the collieries operating in these coalfields in KwaZulu–Natal is comparatively small and has been slowly declining overall. However, the area produces most of the country’s anthracite as well as a fair part of its coking coal.