Chelmsford Colliery

This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

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Chelmsford Colliery is an operating coal mine in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Chelmsford Colliery	Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa	-27.902916, 29.924397 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	–	–

Table 3: Operation details

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
1	0.48	–	Underground & Surface	Mixed	49.87	92	158

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
–	–	–	–	Bituminous	–	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Future Coal	Future Coal [100%]	South Africa

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September supplement.

Background

Chelmsford Colliery Coal Mine is a surface & underground mine in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Chelmsford mine is owned and operated by Future Coal (Pty) Ltd. Its operation is divided into five sections: Ashley Section (active), Shelley Section (active), Macclesfield Section (the next development), Mooikrantz Section, and Exmoor and Spectacle Spruit Sections.

The site has a reported life-of-mine of 25 years. There is a high risk of deterioration of surface and groundwater quality at the mine site due to the potential for acid mine drainage. The mine comprises open-pit surface mining and room-and-pillar underground mining operations to a depth of approximately 90 metres. There are currently 158 people working in the mine with plans to expand production from 40,000 tonnes to 115,00 tones once a wash plant is constructed on site.

The colliery borders the Chelmsford nature reserve to the south. The nature reserve is an area with sensitive rivers and wetlands as well as numerous protected flora and fauna.

• Operator: Future Coal (Pty) Ltd
• Owner: Future Coal (Pty) Ltd
• Location: Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
• Coordinates: -27.902916, 29.924397 (Exact)
• Status: Operating
• Production: 0.48 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa)
• Total Reserves: 103 million tonnes (2009) (Measured, Indicated & Inferred Resource)
• Mineable Reserves:
• Coal Type: Bituminous
• Mine Size: 49.87 Km2
• Mine Type: Surface and underground
• Start Year:
• Source of Financing:

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.