Middelburg Complex (MBO)

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

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Middelburg Complex (MBO) is an operating coal mine in Middelburg, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Middelburg Complex (MBO)	Middelburg, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa	-25.8123128, 29.4029868 (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	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
–	2.7	–	Surface	Open Pit	–	60*	508*

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
18	–	173	–	Bituminous	Thermal	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Independent Third Party	Independent Third Party [100%]	South Africa, Switzerland

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

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
ROM	–	3	3	2	2	–	–

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

Middelburg Complex (MBO) Coal Mine is a cluster of surface mines in Middleburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Izimbiwa Coal operates the mine, which is owned by Phembani (50.1%) and Glencore (49.9%). Coal from the mine is mainly for export. The project consists of a number of smaller operations, including Graspan, Townlands, Steelcoal, and Corobrik collieries which were absorbed into the complex in 2018. The complex also contains Springlake (Care and Maintenance), Argent (proposed), and Springboklaagte (proposed).

• Operator: Izimbiwa Coal
• Owner: Phembani (50.1%) and Glencore (49.9%)
• Location: Middleburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa
• Coordinates: -25.8123128, 29.4029868 (Townlands)(Exact) -25.780846, 29.410789 (Graspan)(Exact)
• Status: Operating
• Capacity: 2.7 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa)
• Total Resources: 173 million tonnes (Measured, Indicated, and Inferred Resource)
• Reserves: 18 million tonnes (Proven and Probable Reserve)
• Coal Type: Bituminous (Thermal)
• Mine Type: Surface
• 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.