South African Coal Desktop Study Annexure Q

The document details South Africa's coal landscape, identifying the Highveld and Witbank coalfields as the largest by reserves. It provides a comprehensive inventory of mines, their ownership (including major entities like Anglo Coal, Exxaro, and BHP Billiton), and their production outputs for domestic power (primarily Eskom) and export markets. The report also analyzes the logistics chain, focusing on the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) as the primary export hub, and provides detailed cost breakdowns for opencast mining and rail transport.

• As of 2009, the Highveld and Witbank coalfields held the largest reserves in South Africa, with 9,474.6 Mt (29.2%) and 8,509.3 Mt (26.2%) respectively, out of a total of 32,487.5 Mt.
• The Waterberg Coalfield is identified as the most significant in terms of remaining resources, containing over 40% of South Africa's remaining coal and serving as a potential replacement for the Central Basin Coalfields.
• In 2009, South Africa's thermal coal production was 261Mtpa, with Eskom acting as the primary consumer at 133Mtpa, followed by other domestic consumers (66Mtpa) and exports (62Mtpa).
• The Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) is the dominant export hub, handling approximately 96% of all South African coal exports with a design capacity of 91Mtpa.
• Mining costs for opencast operations are often calculated using a rule of thumb where stripping ratios are multiplied by R27 to R30 to determine pit head costs per ROM tonne.
• The document lists various coal types produced across different regions, including thermal coal for power stations, semi-soft coking coal, and high-quality anthracite from fields such as Somkele and Springlake.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). South African Coal Desktop Study Annexure Q. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Annexure-Q.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. South African Coal Desktop Study Annexure Q. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Annexure-Q.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=South African Coal Desktop Study Annexure Q |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Annexure-Q.pdf?x21779 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndsouth, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{South African Coal Desktop Study Annexure Q}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Annexure-Q.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }