Message Mar 21 Juin 2011 16:24

Zambia coal mine sees output ramp up by end-July

Zambia coal mine sees output ramp up by end-July
Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:00pm GMT

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia's largest coal producer, Maamba Collieries, which is majority owned by Singapore's Nava Bharat Pte, has resumed operations and sees full-scale mining activities by the end of July 2011, the company said on Tuesday.

Maamba Collieries, once a key supplier of coal to the country's copper mines, produced about 600,000 tonnes of coal per year in the 1980s, but production slumped due to years of undercapitalisation and operational losses.

Nava Bharat acquired a 65 percent stake in Maamba in 2009 and it said last year that it would spend $108 million on modernising the mine.

Maamba started revival activities in April 2010 and said Nava Bharat had to date injected $33 million into the company.

"Maamba Collieries commenced mining activities in May 2011... after procuring new mining equipment," the company said adding that it sees full-scale mining by the end of July.

State-run Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines -Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) owns 35 percent of Maamba mine.

The mine, which is expected to produce 360,000 tonnes of coal for the first year, aims to reach a maximum output capacity of 2 million tonnes of coal per year in the long term.

Maamba has estimated coal reserves of 65 million tonnes.
Ce que l'on conçoit bien, s'énonce clairement, Et les mots pour le dire arrivent aisément. BOILEAU