Message Mer 1 Jan 2014 12:49

Maamba Collieries power plant halfway done

By NDANGWA MWITTAH
MAAMBA Collieries Limited has announced that 50 percent of the power plant construction in Maamba has been completed ahead of the commissioning which is scheduled to take place in the last quarter of next year.
The mining firm has also pledged continued corporate social investment next year.
In his New Year message, chief operating officer Gurram Venkata Narayana said the company is confident of satisfying the consumers on coal supplies and high standards of quality while offloading power for consumption to the Zambian people at the end of 2014.
“As a corporation, the year 2013 has seen a lot of milestones being achieved, especially in the construction of the thermal power plant (TPP) phase one, mining operations and coal sales.
“We have so far completed 50 percent construction works for the phase one unit of the thermal power plant which is scheduled for commissioning in the last quarter of 2014,” Mr Narayana said in a statement released in Lusaka yesterday.
“MCL mining operations have been fully developed and there has been a steady improvement in sales as some of our major customers have regained their lost confidence in the company,” he said.
“The year 2013 saw MCL unveil its corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the field of health and other services to the community, in and around Maamba township. In this regard, we carried out three successful medical health camps at Sinankumbi, Maamba Private School and Maamba Hospital.”
The medical camp at Maamba Hospital saw 724 women being screened for cervical cancer.
All these medical camps ensured that quality medical services were brought to the doorsteps of the vast majority who cannot afford such services due to financial challenges.
Christmas, Mr Narayana said, is a period which must accord both MCL employees and stakeholders an opportunity to reflect on lives as Christians and to make resolutions for the year 2014.
“As we prepare ourselves to welcome the New Year, 2014, let us bear in mind that the New Year will come with its own challenges. In this vein, let us diligently apply ourselves to all the challenges that lie ahead of us,” he said.