The Elandspruit, Khanyisa, Vanggatfontein and Moabsvelden Collieries are located within the Witbank Coalfield. The northern extent of the Coalfield is defined by the limit of coal-bearing sediments of the Vryheid Formation which abut against pre-Karoo basement rocks of the Transvaal Sequence, the Waterberg Group and Bushveld Complex. The southern limit of the central sector of the Coalfield is marked by a series of Bushveld Complex inliers known as the Smithfield Ridge while in the east and west sectors, the boundary between the Witbank Coalfield and the Highveld Coalfield to the south is somewhat arbitrary.

The five major coal seams of the coalfield are contained within a stratigraphic interval averaging approximately 70m in thickness. The seams are numbered, from the base upwards and include the No. 1 Coal Seam, the No. 2 Coal Seam (split into the No. 2 Lower Coal Seam and No. 2 Upper Coal Seam), the No. 3 Coal Seam, the No. 4 Coal Seam (split into the No. 4 Lower Coal Seam and No. 4 Upper Coal Seam) and the uppermost No. 5 Coal Seam.

Locally, three coal seams are developed across the licence area – namely the No. 5 Seam, No. 4 Seam, and the No. 2 Seam. Within the opencast resource areas, the No. 2 and No. 4 Seams are the primary economic targets, with the addition of the No. 5 Seam where present.

No. 2 Seam
The No. 2 Seam is the bottom most economic coal seam. The No. 2 Seam sequence includes the succession from the top of the Trans ........

Vanggatfontein is an open cast coal mining operation that mines the No.5, No.4 and No.2 Coal Seams using truck and shovel rollover mining methods at an average rate of 340,000tpm run of mine (ROM).

Vanggatfontein is currently operated as an opencast mining operation based on contractor truck and shovel strip mining and rollover methodology. Opencast mining at Vanggatfontein contributed to the 2.98 Mt ROM being extracted during FY22. Box cut operations at the VG5 pit are completed and the pit is progressing towards steadystate operation.

The Vanggatfontein underground section construction phase on the WRB will commence with the construction of the Coal Handling and Processing Plants, followed by the construction of the underground access.

The mine was placed under care and maintenance at the end of February 2022, the mine has made a strategic decision to establish its own hybrid mining capability commencing with own equipment, supplemented by additional contractors and outsourcing of key support functions which includes maintenance with drill and blasting. As at 18 July 2022, the mine was still recruiting operators with no specific time estimate to commence operations.

The intention is to commence with much lower production levels to supply coal to domestic clients and some to export through the Durban harbour. No new fixed contract has yet been concluded with Eskom, justifying the hybrid mining model to reduce risks associated wit ........

Vanggatfontein is an opencast coal mining operation that mines the No.5, No.4 and No.2 Coal Seams. The No.5 Seam is processed through a 100tph plant for domestic metallurgical and boiler markets (No.5 Seam Plant), while the No.4 and No.2 Seams are processed through a 480tph plant which produces thermal coal for Eskom.

Coal processing
KEHL owns two CHPPs with processing capacities of 100tph and 480tph, respectively. The 100tph plant (No.5 Seam plant) processes RoM from the No.5 Seam, producing high quality products for domestic metallurgical and boiler markets, third party coal on short term contracts as well as No.2 and No.4 Seam coal as capacity allows. The 480tph plant processes RoM from the No.2 and No.4 Seams producing exclusively washed Eskom power station coal.

Processing method
Vanggatfontein was initially commissioned as a No.5 Seam mine as a coal supply agreement with Eskom had not yet been concluded. That said, the significantly different co ........