Ilima Coal Mine

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Ilima Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Carolina, Gert Sibande, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Ilima Coal Mine	Carolina, Gert Sibande, Mpumalanga, South Africa	-26.107445, 30.215583 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate 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

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
–	1.5	–	Underground & Surface	Mixed	177.76	100	373*

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
–	–	–	Ermelo	Bituminous	Thermal	Eskom

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Ilima Coal Co	Ilima Coal Co [100%]	South Africa

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
ROM	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Expansion/Extension

Table 6: Project status

* Added capacity of a coal mine refers to the enhancement in the mine's production capabilities beyond its initial production capacity.

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Project Phase	Added Capacity (Mtpa)*	Start Year
Proposed	Pre-Permit	Extension	–	1	–

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

Ilima Coal Mine (also known as Pembani Coal Carolina) is an opencast and underground coal mine owned by Pretorius Group of Companies (PGC) and located near Carolina, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The Ilima colliery is situated about 3 kilometers east of Carolina, immediately north of the R38, in Mpumalanga Province.

In 2016, PGC entered into a total takeover agreement of the previous owner, Pembani Coal Carolina (PCC).

Due to the large area under the mining right, Ilima's opencast and underground mining activities have been and will be approached as a phased development over the mine's life (30 years).

• Operator: Ilima Coal Company (Pty) Ltd (ICC)
• Owner: Pretorius Group of Companies (PGC)
• Location: Carolina, Albert Luthuli Local Municipality, Gert Sibande District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
• Coordinates: -26.107445, 30.215583 (approximate)
• Mine Status: Operating
• Start Year:
• Production Capacity: 1.5 million tonnes per annum
• Total Resource:
• Mineable Reserves:
• Coal Type: Bituminous (Thermal)
• Mine Type: Surface and underground
• Mine Size: 17,776 hectares
• Workforce Size:
• Source of Financing:

Extension

As recently as 2017, an extension of mining operations at Ilima has been proposed. However, the status of the project is unclear, as rural families continue to fight against the relocations needed for the project to commence.

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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.