North Block Complex coal mine

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The North Block Complex (NBC) coal mine is located outside the town of Belfast in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Owned by TerraCom Resources, the complex consists of the Glisa, Eerstellingsfontein, and Paardeplaats mining sections. It produces an average of 3.3 million tonnes of thermal coal per annum for the domestic and export markets.

Location

The satellite photo below shows the exact location of the mine in Belfast, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

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Background

Universal Coal acquired the North Block colliery from previous owner Exxaro Coal in November 2018. (At that time, NBC Coal consisted of the Glisa and Strathrae coal mines and the Eerstellingsfontein and Belfast coal projects, according to Exxaro's website.) The acquisition was focused on the greenfield Paardeplaats project, which was developed during FY2020.

In June 2020, TerraCom acquired 100% of Universal's shares, transferring NBC under TerraCom ownership.

According to TerraCom's 2021 annual report, NBC achieved its first full shipment of thermal coal during financial year 2021. Since then, additional export sales have occurred, and the mine plans to continue growing production of its export-quality coal.

Also completed in 2021 was the backfilling of the Eerstelling mining area; seeding is expected to begin during the next rainy season.

Plans are currently in place for consolidation of the Glisa section mining right into the Paardeplaats section.

Mine Details

• Operator: TerraCom Resources
• Owners: TerraCom Resources (49%), Ndalamo Resources (51%)
• Location: Near the town of Belfast, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
• Coordinates: -25.694582, 30.013851 (Exact)
• Status: Operating
• Production: 3.6 million tonnes per annum (2021)
• Total Resource: 75.6 million tonnes
• Mineable Reserves: 44.5 million tonnes
• Coal Type: Subbituminous (Thermal)
• Mine Type: Surface
• Start Year:
• Source of Financing:

Articles and Resources

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