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[1][2] -22.515389, 27.024167 (exact)

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

Loading map...

Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status Status Detail Opening Year Closing Year
Operating[3] 1973[1]

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[4][5] 2.8[5] 2021[5] Underground & Surface[1] Mixed[1] 425[1] 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[1] Thermal[1] Morupule A Power Station ; Morupule B power station[1]

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner Parent Company Headquarters
Minerals Development Company Botswana[1] 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[6][7] 2[6][7] 1[6][7] 1[6] 2*[5]

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.[8] It is wholly-owned by Minerals Development Company Botswana (MDCB).[9]The Anglo American Corporation received a mining lease in 1966 and developed a colliery at the Morupule coalfield, which opened in 1973.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12]

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)[9]
  • Location: Palapye, Botswana[8]
  • GPS Coordinates: -22.515137, 27.024339 (exact)
  • Status Operating[8]
  • Production: 2.8 million tonnes per annum[13][14]
  • Total Resources: 4285 million tonnes[12]
  • Mineable Reserves: 40 million tonnes (Proven), 1200 million tonnes (Inferred)[10]
  • Coal Type: Subbituminous
  • Mine Size: 425.3 km2[12]
  • Mine Type: Underground and surface[8]
  • Start Year: 1973[8]
  • 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.[12]

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. [14] 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.[12] 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.[15][16] The Motheo project mines the MCM 3 resource block which has potential to supply power station grade coal for over 30 years.[12]

The mine opened in September 2022.[17] 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.[18] In July 2023, the mine marked its 50th year of operations.[19]

Industry reporting from 2024 referred to the mine's capacity at 4.2Mtpa.[19] However, according to national statistics report, coal production in Botswana fell in 2023 by 16%, to just over 2 million tonnes.[20] MC<

Further expansion plans up to 10Mtpa by 2027 were mentioned in an industry report dated June 2024.[19] 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.[19]

Project Expansion Details

  • Status: Operating[17]
  • Capacity: 1.4 million tonnes[17]
  • Mineable Reserves:
  • Start Year: 2022[17]
  • 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.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20230325232931/https://mcm.co.bw/documents/MCM_company_profile.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20240229073017/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morupule_Colliery. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20240229043045/https://www.facebook.com/MCMSeamToValue/. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/botswanas-minergy-seeks-govt-bailout-after-halting-coal-mining-ops-2023-03-08/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/botswanas-morupule-aims-boost-coal-output-by-50-with-new-mine-2022-09-28/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 https://repository.biust.ac.bw/handle/123456789/515. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 (PDF) https://www.statsbots.org.bw/sites/default/files/publications/Index%20Of%20The%20%20Physical%20Volume%20Of%20Mining%20Production%20First%20Quarter%202024.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Morupule Coal Mine,Product, Company Website, accessed November 2020.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Morupule Coal Mine: Seam to Energy, Morupule Coal Mine website, accessed July 2022.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Morupule Coal Mine Company History, Company Website, accessed November 2020.
  11. Morupule Coal Mine Company Profile, Morupule Coal Mine website, accessed July 2022.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 "Basil Read and local Botswana company to develop Motheo coal mine for Morupule", International Mining, April 28, 2021.
  13. Morupule Coal Mine Awards Opencast Contract, The Monitor, April 26, 2021
  14. 14.0 14.1 Reuters, "Botswana’s Morupule to boost coal output by 35% with new mine", Reuters website, Accessed March 2021
  15. Opencast Mining, Morupule Coal Mine website, accessed July 2022.
  16. "Motheo Project Groundbreaking Ceremony", Morupule Coal Mine Facebook page, November 26, 2021.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Botswana's Morupule aims to boost coal output by 50% with new mine, Reuters, September 28, 2022
  18. "Botswana commissions new coal mine to increase exports". www.mining-technology.com. September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "Morupule Coal Mine: Casting A 'Seam-to-Value' Success Story". /www.bus-ex.com. June 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. "Coal output drops". www.mmegi.bw/. April 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)