BHP BILLITON/OPTIMUM COAL MINE (PTY) LTD SCHOONOORD

This case study examines the conversion of old order mining rights to new order rights at the Optimum Colliery, highlighting systemic failures in public participation, environmental assessment, and legal compliance.

• The conversion of old order mining rights at the Optimum Colliery is cited as an example of systemic failures in public participation, specifically where landowners received no notification regarding the application for conversion.
• The Environmental Management Programme (EMP) for the site was alleged to be deficient because it did not evaluate the 'no go' option, failed to assess the mining option against alternative land uses, and did not properly identify cumulative impacts.
• The Optimum Colliery, operated by BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa Limited (BECSA) as of August 2007, produces 6 MTPA of export coal and 6.5 MTPA of coal for the Hendrina power station.
• Landowners Jacobus Oosthuysen and the Jaco Oosthuysen Trust lodged an appeal in September 2010 against the conversion of old order mining rights, claiming they only learned of the decision on 27 August 2010.
• The case involves allegations of illegal mining, specifically that the mining company performed activities that were not approved within the EMP.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). BHP BILLITON/OPTIMUM COAL MINE (PTY) LTD SCHOONOORD. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Optimum-Colliery-Schoonoord.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. BHP BILLITON/OPTIMUM COAL MINE (PTY) LTD SCHOONOORD. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Optimum-Colliery-Schoonoord.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=BHP BILLITON/OPTIMUM COAL MINE (PTY) LTD SCHOONOORD |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Optimum-Colliery-Schoonoord.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndbhp, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{BHP BILLITON/OPTIMUM COAL MINE (PTY) LTD SCHOONOORD}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Optimum-Colliery-Schoonoord.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }