Morupule Coal Mine

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Morupule Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Palapye, Central District, Botswana.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Morupule Coal Mine	Palapye, Central District, Botswana	-22.515389, 27.024167 (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	–	1973	–

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	2.8	2021	Underground & Surface	Mixed	425	60*	456*

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
40	–	4285	–	Subbituminous	Thermal	Morupule A Power Station ; Morupule B power station

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Minerals Development Company Botswana	Minerals Development Company Botswana [100%]	Botswana

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

Note: The asterisk (*) indicates that the value is an estimated figure based on various factors, including the company's forecasted or reported monthly or quarterly production data, etc.

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
ROM	2	2	1	1	–	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

The Morupule coal mine is an underground mine producing approximately 2.8 million tonnes per annum, near Palapye, Botswana. It is wholly-owned by Minerals Development Company Botswana (MDCB).The Anglo American Corporation received a mining lease in 1966 and developed a colliery at the Morupule coalfield, which opened in 1973. MCM ownership was transferred to Debswana Diamond Company in 2000, when Anglo disinvested its operations in Botswana. In 2016, the De Beers interest in MCM (held under Debswana) was acquired by the Minerals Development Company Botswana, giving them 100% ownership.

Morupule Coal Mine has a mining lease area covering approximately 42531 hectares, and has four resource blocks: MCM 1, MCM 2, MCM 3 North, and MCM 3 South. The main underground mine is currently operating at its MCM 1 resource.

The mine supplies power to the Morupule B power station. It is one of two currently operating mines in Botswana (although more are planned); the other is the Masama coal mine.

• Owner: Minerals Development Company Botswana (MDCB)
• Location: Palapye, Botswana
• GPS Coordinates: -22.515137, 27.024339 (exact)
• Status Operating
• Production: 2.8 million tonnes per annum
• Total Resources: 4285 million tonnes
• Mineable Reserves: 40 million tonnes (Proven), 1200 million tonnes (Inferred)
• Coal Type: Subbituminous
• Mine Size: 425.3 km2
• Mine Type: Underground and surface
• Start Year: 1973
• Source of Financing:

Expansion

Morupule has an expansion plan, called Project Motheo, to increase production at the Morupule coal mine through the construction of an open pit mine.

In 2021, the proposed addition of a second mine at the site would increase the expected production of the mine by 35% to 3.8 million tonnes, up from a 2.8 million tonnes per annum. In April 2021, a 5-year mining services contract was awarded to a joint venture between the local citizen-owned company Bothakga Burrow and South-African-based Basil Read Mining. Groundbreaking began in November 2021, while the project's commissioning phase, which was originally scheduled to start by December 2021, was re-scheduled for spring 2022. The Motheo project mines the MCM 3 resource block which has potential to supply power station grade coal for over 30 years.

The mine opened in September 2022. The new surface coal mine with 1.4Mtpa capacity was expected to raise MCM’s production capacity by 50% from the current 2.8Mtpa to 4.2Mtpa. In July 2023, the mine marked its 50th year of operations.

Industry reporting from 2024 referred to the mine's capacity at 4.2Mtpa. However, according to national statistics report, coal production in Botswana fell in 2023 by 16%, to just over 2 million tonnes. MC<

Further expansion plans up to 10Mtpa by 2027 were mentioned in an industry report dated June 2024. MCM's expansion, the Motheo Project, was approved in 2019 to position the company as a strategic source of energy. The surface mine will increase the tonnage produced by MCM from the current coal production capacity to 4.2 Mtpa (ROM) coal. The surface mine can be scaled up to produce up to 6Mtppa of saleable coal, coupled with the development of a rail link into the Waterberg region of RSA and other markets that are currently being studied. Work on the Motheo Project began in late 2021 when the President of Botswana, Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony. When fully operational, the mine will include a coal-washing plant and associated infrastructure to supply coal to the regional market.

Project Expansion Details

• Status: Operating
• Capacity: 1.4 million tonnes
• Mineable Reserves:
• Start Year: 2022
• Source of Funding:

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.