For practical purposes stone, marble and other quarries may be included in this list. In common with other gondwana coals south african coals are generally rich in material. Over the years, export capacity has grown to 76 mta in 2008. The source watch ranks this african giant at number five, just behind china, the usa, india, and australia. Other thermal largely comprises plants where the exact fuel is unknown as well as industrial cogeneration, methane, peat and.
Additional information on south africa on energypedia. Coal demand in south east asia would quadruple by 2040, with coal use overtaking the usa, while coal demand would also grow in africa, latin america and eastern europe. Consumption of petrol and diesel in south africa from 1988 to 2009. In 2012, according to the south african revenue service as published by global trade atlas gta, south africa imported 110,000 bbld of petroleum products. Pdf coal has been an important commodity in south africa for many years and. Lower use would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and less demand would lower the environmental risk of coal mining. This map was published by the department of minerals and energy in february 2007. South africa is highly coal and energy intensive, and has an economy. The need for a coal road map for south africa was identified in 2007 by key role players in the industry, under the auspices. Mcmining limited is an emerging developer and producer of highquality thermal and coking coal, based in south africa.
The authors hope this report, which we believe to be the. Pdf south africas diminishing coal reserves researchgate. Coal has been an important commodity in south africa for many years and it is one of the oldest mining enterprises in the country. Its role since 1923 as a primary source of energy has steered the. Having developed a reputation as specialist in thin seam open cast and underground coal mining, sacmh produces and processes coal products for international markets. Even with limited implementation of climate change policy, coal is no longer south africa s future. Queensland ceo michael roche said the outlook was positive despite the current downturn in prices. Coal mining in south africa is centred on the highveld, with roughly 60% of the countrys deposits located in emalahleni witbank and surrounding areas.
Finance, real estate and business services is the largest industry in south africa, and it has been contributing more and more to south africa s economy as the years has gone by. The largest coal deposits in south africa are to be found in the ecca deposits, a stratum of the karoo supergroup, dating from the permian period, between 280 and 250 ma. Pdf south africas coal reserves have been significantly reduced since 2003. Flammable limits for mixtures of methane and coal dust 149 1. The subsequent recovery to the end of august was aided by improved usd. South africa exports about 30% of its coal production and is the fifthlargest global coal exporter. Challenges facing the south african mining industry by prof cyril oconnor. Natural gas means any plant fuelled by natural gas, whatever.
The mining industry is an important part of the south african. No commercially exploitable deposits of petroleum have been found, but there are moderate quantities of natural gas located off the. This list of mines in south africa is subsidiary to the list of mines article and lists working, defunct and future mines in the country and is organised by the primary mineral output. Resource rent accounts for the south african mining industry. Map 1 show that most of the south african coal reserves are concentrated in. Mineral locality maps of south africa a4 size active coal mines active mines selected active mines aluminium andalusite antimony asbestos barytes. This points that there is a need for planning for south africa s due to the relative economics of new supply options alone.
The ecca group is extensive, covering around two thirds of south africa much of it covered by slightly younger rocks. In fact, around 77% of south africa s primary energy needs are provided by coal. The south african coal mining industry is facing several challenges, the most significant being railway capacity constraints hindering the transportation of coal to the richards bay coal terminal, where it is shipped to the export market. However, demand began to grow, slowly at first but then. Chapter 10 air quality department of environmental affairs.
To feel comfortable travelers need to remember about several important rules of conduct, they will help to behave in different situations. Coal mining in south africa plays a significant role in the countrys economy. The country generates 93 percent of its electricity from coal, as a result of which it is one of the 15 largest emitters of co2 worldwide. South africa is the biggest producer of hard coal in africa, and it is a significant global player.
While uncertain, a future in which coal exports to india disappear in a relatively short time frame is entirely feasible and would have major implications on south african coal producing regions. The history of coal mining in south africa is closely linked with the economic development of the country. Table i summarizes pertinent geological information about the coal seams in. Coal fired power stations page content the generation divisions mandate is to optimally operate and maintain eskoms generating assets for the duration of their economic life. It gives me great pleasure to introduce the report. The coalfield is host to up to five coal seams within the middle ecca group sediments of the karoo supergroup. In that year, south africa s platinum mining industry employed some 164,5 people. South africas economic structure south african market. Except of the habitants a lot of people from european countries live there, this merging has an effect on the national features of pretoria. Calls to decrease the worlds dependence on coal as an energy source are well intentioned. South african coal mining holdings limited sacmh is a junior coal producer with operations in the ermelo breyten district of the mpumalanga province of south africa. The petroleum consumed in south africa comes mostly from its domestic refineries that import crude oil and its ctl and gtl plants. Because the first farmers had knowledge of ironworking, their archaeological sites are characterized as iron age c. It is a world class heavy haul freight rail company that specialises in the transportation of freight.
Changes in the south african energy system and international coal markets are interlinked. South africa has significant potential to save money through energy efficiency and to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix. In south africa, thermal coal is what the country uses most to generate its electricity. The south african coal roadmap was developed to explore the short, medium and long. Most of south africa s coal exports are sent to asia, with india being the largest recipient. However, as the world moves away from coal, south africa will need to consider the implications. Geology and coal quality of the south african coalfields coal is found in south africa in 19 coalfields figure 1, located mainly in kwazulunatal, mpumalanga, limpopo, and the free state, with lesser amounts in gauteng, the north west province and the eastern cape. Coal refers to technologies using coal as the original source of energy. Challenges facing the south african mining industry saae. From the richards bay coal terminal, we export coal throughout the atlantic, mediterranean and asiapacific regions. Over 90% of the coal consumed in africa is produced in south africa. Coal minings advent in south africa can best be traced to the start of gold mining in the late 19 th century, particularly on the witwatersrand, with the first coal in appreciable tonnages being extracted on the highveld coal field close to the nascent witwatersrand gold mines. South africa exported about 30% of its coal production 85 mmst in 2016, making it the worlds fifthlargest global coal.
This is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future as there is a distinct lack of alternatives to coal as a viable source of energy. Prof cyril oconnors presented the 2016 academy lecture, challenges facing the south african mining industry, in october 2016 in cape town and in march 2017 in gauteng. Relation between quantitative composition and explosibility of mixtures of methane and air 154 2. The social and environmental consequences of coal mining. The karoo supergroup comprises sediments ascribed to deposition in.
Brown coal, also called lignite, is a lowranked coal with high moisture content that is. South african mining industry employment by commodity 2019. In south africa we supply both the export and domestic energy markets. Oec south africa zaf exports, imports, and trade partners. The term black coal is used in australia to refer to anthracite, as well as bituminous and subbituminous coals table 3.
Books on the wall publishing cc is proud to announce the release of the 11th edition 2014 barkers coalfields map of south africa originates from a study of the coal industry in the early1980s originally for the international market. The generation of electricity in south africa is largely dependent on coal. South africa, and in consultation with anglo coal and ingwe coal, five collieries different size, depth, mining methods, mining heights and surface structures, e. South africa maps printable maps of south africa for. Coal is the major primary energy source for south africa. The discovery of diamonds in the late 1870s led to expansion of the mines in order to meet the growing demand for coal. The history of coal mining in south africa afri coal. This report was prepared to provide 1 a map of the coal fields and occurrences of coal in south america. In addition to diamonds and gold, the country also contains reserves of iron ore, platinum, manganese, chromium, copper, uranium, silver, beryllium, and titanium. The coal road map pitso an overview of the botswanas. Examples of methane emission as reported in south african metalnonmetal mines 162 141. Black coal is higher in energy and has lower moisture content than brown coal.
Approximately 35% is sourced from coal through south africa coal and oil sasol and 100% of the natural gas production from the petroleum, oil and gas. The terminal transported sixmillion tons of coal in 2012. Government is the second largest contributor to our economy, contributing 17% to our overall gdp. New groups of people arriving in south africa at that time had strong connections to east africa. The ecca group is extensive, covering around two thirds of south africa much of it covered by slightly younger rocks see diagram on the left. South africa is the 34th largest export economy in the world and the 47th most complex economy according to the economic complexity index eci. Active gold, platinum group metals and coal mines in south africa.
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