Massive coal mining projects in Moz get closer to start

Brazilian mining company Vale announced that it intends to produce 1.5-million tonnes of coal this year from its open cast mine at Moatize, in the western Mozambiquan province of Tete. This is a 75% increase on its previous estimate of 850 000-tonnes for the year. The company plans to increase output to 6.3-mt in 2012, reports AIM news agency. A second enormous open cast mine, in the neighboring area of Benga, run by the Australian company Riversdale, which was recently taken over by Rio Tinto, should come into production later in the year. Other companies are queuing up to explore the Tete coal fields, where billions of tonnes of coal are available just a few metres below the surface. According to Vale, the first export of coal will be in September. Vale’s press release said that US$1.658-billion have been invested in the project and that the company is to produce 11-mt of coal a year. Coal will be transported from Tete to the central port city of Beira through the Sena line in Sofala province.