Katlego Operations

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

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Katlego Operations is an operating coal mine in Thubelihle, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Katlego Operations	Thubelihle, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa	-26.223715, 29.298358 (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

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
–	4.2	–	Underground & Surface	Mixed	–	190	651*

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
95	2021	556	Highveld	Bituminous	Thermal	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Overlooked Colliery Proprietary Ltd	Overlooked Colliery Proprietary Ltd [100%]	South Africa

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

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
ROM	4	3	4	–	–	–	–

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

Katlego Operations, formerly the Exxaro Coal Central (ECC) complex, is a group of surface and underground coal mines, owned by Overlooked Colliery in Thubelihle, Emalahleni, Nkangala District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

The mines in the complex include Dorstfontein East, Dorstfontein West, and Forzando South. The Exxaro Coal Central operation was previously owned by Exxaro Resources. During Exxaro's ownership, the complex produced 4.2 million tonnes per annum, and included the Dorstfontein, Forzando North, Forzando South, and Tumelo mines.

In April 2021, Exxaro disposed of its equity interest in Exxaro Coal Central to fund its investment in renewable energy projects, to repay debt, and return value to shareholders. Overlook Colliery acquired ECC assets and renamed them Katlego Operations. As part of the agreement, Overlooked will assume all of the rehabilitation liabilities of ECC, while Exxaro will retain all coal export entitlement through the Richards Bay Coal Terminal.

The newly-named Katlego Operations includes the Dorstfontein West (underground) and Dorstfontein East (opencast) mines, which lie north-east of the town of Kriel, as well as the Forzando South mine (underground), which lies to the south-east.

• Operator: Mmakau Mining
• Owners: Overlooked Colliery (50%) and Mmakau Mining
• Location: Thubelihle, Emalahleni, Nkangala District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.
• GPS Coordinates: -26.223715, 29.298358 (exact)
• Status: Operating
• Production Capacity: 4.2 million tonnes per annum
• Total Resource:
• Mineable Reserves: 122.6 million tonnes
• Coal Type: Bituminous (Thermal)
• Mine Size:
• Mine Type: Surface and underground
• Start Year:
• Source of Financing:

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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.