09 Apr 2017

Palapye Administrative Authority leadership recently toured Morupule Coal Mine (MCM) to familiarise themselves with the mine operations and the upcoming MCM expansion project.

The country’s sole coal mine is currently working on the envisaged open cast mine which will help maximise the abundant coal resource to supply the upcoming Morupule Power Station Unit 5 and 6.

The MCM3 operational readiness manager, Mr Siyani Makwakwago informed the leadership that MCM signed a 30-year Coal Mine Sales Agreement with the Independent Power Producer (IPP) who had been engaged for Unit 5 and 6 development.

The mine would supply 1.5 million tonnes of coal per annum to the upcoming new coal fired power station. Currently MCM is preparing to undertake the expansion project which would require many skills for the establishment of an open cast mine.

The project is currently at IPP Financial close and once the power producer has secured funds for the new power station construction of the mine would start.

The open cast mine, Mr Makwakwago said was advantageous because it helped address issues of coal dust and methane which could be harmful to the environment.

Open cast mine also gave MCM the opportunity to mine the coal to the maximum compared to the old method where only 25 per cent of coal was mined.

“With Open Cast mine we are going to take out coal, cover the area and try to rehabilitate it,” Mr Makwakwago said.

MCM expansion saw 166 farmers moved from the area that would be covered and farmers were compensated and re-settled in a different location.

Since the Open Cast Mine was new to the country, MCM was compelled to recruit more expatriates.

“We are going to be challenged in getting the right skills,” Mr Makwakwago said.

During construction stage, he said the mine would employ 600 to 700 employees, 10 per cent of which would be expatriates and 350 would be employed during operation.

Deputy district commissioner for Palapye, Mr Ernest Phiri thanked MCM for the information, saying the stakeholder forum was important.

MCM, he said was not only of great importance to Palapye community but the country at large.

He said without the mine, the country would not be able to meet national power demand as well as other economic activities.

The mine, he said contributed immensely to the economy of the country through coal supply to both local and regional markets where it exported coal to neighbouring South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

He said Palapye was changing its phase from a village to a town because of the mine, adding that the mine drove many economic activities in the area.

Mr Phiri noted that Palapye had been declared a special economic zone mainly because of the mine.

He also thanked MCM management for not only providing employment to Palapye community but also for ploughing back to the community and villages in the periphery.

He said the sub-district leadership would share information with the community in order to strengthen relations between the mine and the community. ENDS