Khutala Coal Mine

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Khutala Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Ogies, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Khutala Coal Mine	Ogies, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa	-26.124001, 29.003424 (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	–	1984	–

Table 3: Operation details

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
–	5.5	–	Underground & Surface	Mixed	–	130	3239

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
31	–	–	Witbank	Bituminous	Thermal	Kendal Power Station

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Seriti Power Pty Ltd	Seriti Resources Holdings [90.0%]	Australia, South Africa

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

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
ROM	8	6	6	–	–	4	6

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

The Khutala coal mine is operated by Thabong Coal, a subsidiary of Seriti Resources, producing 7 million tonnes per annum, near Ogies, Emalahleni, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

The mine has supplied Eskom's Kendal Power Station since November 1986. Khutala Mine was previously operated by South Africa Energy Coal (SAEC), a subsidiary of South32. Prior to this, it was majority owned by BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa, a subsidiary of BHP Billiton. The mine, which is described by BHP Billiton as "one of the largest underground coal mines in the world" in its 2009 annual report. BHP Billiton states that "Khutala was commissioned in 1984. Open-cut operations began in 1996. The mining of a thermal/ metallurgical coal deposit for a domestic market commenced in 2003." BHP describes the coal produced from the mine as being a "medium rank bituminous thermal coal".

In its 2009 annual report the companu states that "BECSA is the holder of an Old Order Mining Right. An application for conversion to a New Order Mining Right, submitted in 2004, is still being processed."

All underground coal is exclusively mined for Eskom’s Kendal power station, situated close to the mine shaft. The open-cut coal is supplied to both the Kendal power station as well the inland metallurgical market.

The company also states that "beneficiation facilities consist of a crushing plant, for the energy coal with a nominal capacity of 18 mtpa. A separate smaller crusher and wash plant with a nominal capacity of 0.6 mtpa is used to beneficiate the metallurgical coal supplied from the opencast operation."

In June 2021, South32 completed the sale of its shareholding in SAEC to Seriti Resources. The discontinued operation represents the entire SAEC operating segment which included the Khutala colliery.

• Operator: Thabong Coal
• Owner: Seriti Resources
• Location: Ogies, Emalahleni, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
• GPS Coordinates: -26.124001, 29.003424
• Status: Operating
• Production Capacity: 5.5 million tonner per annum
• Total Resource:
• Mineable Reserves: 31 million tons
• Coal type: Thermal
• Workforce Size:
• Mine Type: surface, open pit; underground, bord and pillar
• Start Year: 1984
• Source of Financing:

Water Rights

In April 2019, a report by the Centre of Environmental Rights found that found eight coal mining companies in Mpumalanga had failed to comply with water use licences and threatened the quality and availability of water in the area. This included the Khutala mine.

According to an article by The Citizen, "The research revealed that not one of the companies took responsibility for the contamination of rivers caused by water leaving their sites during rainy conditions."

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.