Kranspan Coal Project

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Kranspan Coal Project is a proposed coal mine in Carolina, Gert Sibande, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Kranspan Coal Project	Carolina, Gert Sibande, Mpumalanga, South Africa	-26.166422, 30.015778 (exact)

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

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Opening Year	Closing Year
Proposed	Pre-Permit	New	–	–

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
2	–	–	Underground & Surface	Mixed	–	60*	*

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
25	2019	–	Ermelo	Subbituminous	Thermal	Eskom

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Ilima Coal Co	Ilima Coal Co [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

The Kranspan coal project is a proposed coal mine southwest of the town of Carolina, in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The Kranspan coal project was proposed as early as 2011, at which point it was owned by Exxaro. In 2011, Exxaro announced it wanted to sell its prospecting rights to Kranspan, Arnot South and Vaalbult, and called for expressions of interests in these assets.

But Exxaro held onto the prospective mine until at least 2016, when an Exxaro Annual Report states that the company divested from Kranspan.

Ilima Coal Company next proposed mining at Kranspan in 2019, submitting an Environmental Impact Assessment Report and an Environmental Management Programme Report. In 2019, they applied for an Environmental Authorisation, Waste Management Licence and Integrated Water Use Licence. The company is proposing surface (open pit) mining followed in time by underground (bord and pillar) mining.

The mine is expected to produce about 2.16 million tonnes of coal per annum, some of which will be exported and some of which will be used by Eskom, the local utility.

Without any public updates on the project since initial approval submissions in 2019, the project appeared to be shelved. However, in fall 2022, Ilima filed for an extension to its mining right area, signaling that the project is still active. According to the application, Ilima seeks to expand the existing 3,383.42 hectare mining right area at Farm Kranspan 49 IT by 4,974.96 hectares (3,579.23 hectares on Farm Vaalbank 212 IS and 1,395.73 Ha on Farm Roodebloem 51 IT, both of which lie adjacent).

• Operator:
• Owner: Ilima Coal Company
• Location: 13 kilometers southwest of Carolina, Albert Luthuli Municipality, Gert Sibande District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
• GPS Coordinates: -26.166422, 30.015778 (exact)
• Status: Proposed
• Production Capacity: 2.16 Mtpa
• Total Resource:
• Mineable Reserves: 24.8 Mt
• Coal type: Bituminous (Thermal)
• Workforce Size:
• Mine Type: Surface (opencast), underground (bord and pillar)
• Start Year: TBD
• 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.