Mining Intelligence and News
South Africa

Leeuwpan Mine

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (thermal)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotExxaro initiated the Leeuwpan divestment process as part of its ongoing portfolio optimisation strategy to ensure the future resilience of its coal business. Unfortunately, progress on the divestment stalled and the process was stopped in the third quarter of 2022 to ensure stability at the mine.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Exxaro Resources Ltd. 100 % Indirect

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

Leeuwpan mine is in the Delmas coalfield, on the western border of the Witbank coalfield. The geology within the Delmas coalfield is similar to that of the Witbank coalfield.

Like the Witbank coalfield, the Delmas coalfield has up to five coal seams in the middle Ecca group sediments of the Karoo supergroup. The Karoo sequence in the area is represented by the Dwyka formation and the middle Ecca with little or no lower Ecca development. The middle Ecca sequence of coal horizons, interbedded with sediments, is highly truncated due to erosion with minor areas where the full sequence is developed. The basement is generally the Malmani dolomites from the Transvaal supergroup.

Are identified two coal seams at Leeuwpan: top coal seam and bottom coal seam. The bottom coal seam correlates with the S2 of the Witbank and Highveld coalfields and the top coal seam correlates with S4 and S5. The bottom coal seam qualities are generally higher than the top coal seam qualities.

The coal seams at Leeuwpan are primarily interbedded with sandstone, shale and carbonaceous shale.

The coal was deposited on glacial sediments of Dwyka tillite, which in turn was deposited on dolomite of the Transvaal supergroup. A significant amount of magma intruded as concordant sills of dolerite in the Karoo strata in the Delmas area. Thin dolerite dyke structures that transgress the stratigraphy are associated with the dolerite intrusion. Factors controlling geological and quality continuity are mainly surface weathering, significant variation in seam thickness due to an undulating tillite floor, faulting associated with dolerite activity and dolomitic basement, and devolatilisation and weathering due to dolerite intrusions (sills and dykes).

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits20232022202120202019201820172016
Coal (thermal) Mt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4.44.23.43.8
All production numbers are expressed as clean coal. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics2022202120202019201820172016
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe6.5 Mt of ROM coal6.65 Mt of ROM coal4.46 Mt of ROM coal6.4 Mt of ROM coal

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Financials

Units202020192018
Sustaining costs M ZAR  ....  Subscribe 196   512  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 18, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 18, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 18, 2023

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2019

Aerial view:

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