Owukpa Coal Mine

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Owukpa Coal Mine is a mothballed coal mine in Benue, Nigeria.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Owukpa Coal Mine Benue, Nigeria 6.448988, 7.432746 (approximate)

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

Loading map...

Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status Status Detail Opening Year Closing Year
Mothballed

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
Underground 50 *

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
75 Subbituminous Thermal

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner Parent Company Headquarters
Government of Nigeria Government of Nigeria [100%] Nigeria

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

Owukpa Coal Mine is an underground coal mine in Benue State, Nigeria.[1][2]

As of 2022, the mine appears to be abandoned according to reports from the online Nigerian news source, The Cable.[3] The Owukpa mine is operated by the Nigerian Coal Corporation, which is 100% owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN).[1]

According to reports, Owukpa Consolidated Mines Nigeria Limited (a coal exploration, development, and mining company established in 2003 and which had been mining in the Owukpa community since 2007) abandoned its mining activities sometime in 2022 due to increased pressure from neighboring villagers and environmental activists.[3] Protests ramped up in 2014, when community members began creating awareness campaigns on social media about the land degradation and health challenges being experienced as a result of coal mining. Failed promises by the the coal mining company to build up the community's basic amenities like water, schools, and healthcare centres further fueled protests and resistance.[3]

  • Operator: Owukpa Consolidated Mines Limited; Nigerian Coal Corporation[3][1]
  • Owner: The Federal Government of Nigeria[1]
  • Location: Benue State, Nigeria
  • Coordinates: 6.4490, 7.4327 (approximate)
  • Mine Status: Mothballed
  • Start Year: 2007[3]
  • Production Capacity:
  • Total Reserves: 75 million tonnes
  • Coal Type: Subbituminous
  • Mine Type: Underground[1]
  • Source of Financing:

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 "Nigerian Coal Corporation", The Bureau of Public Enterprises, accessed February 2023.
  2. "Nigeria," Coal Mine Methane Country Profiles, Chapter 24, June 2015
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Climate Action: How women joined forces to kick out coal miners from Benue community", The Cable, 2 April 2022.