Umlabu Colliery

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Umlabu Colliery is a mothballed coal mine in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Umlabu Colliery	Ermelo, Mpumalanga, South Africa	-26.37524283, 29.99049002 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Mothballed	Care and Maintenance	–	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
–	0.96	–	Surface	Open Pit	–	60.0*	–

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
5.0	–	33.0	Ermelo	Bituminous	–	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Note: To access more comprehensive data on energy ownership, please visit the Global Energy Ownership Tracker.

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
South African Coal Mining Holdings [100%]	South African Coal Mining Holdings [100%]	South Africa

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2025 release.

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Background

Umlabu Coal Mine is a surface and underground mine in Ermelo, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. South African Coal Mining Holdings Ltd owns and operates the mine. In 2012 a strike over wages led to mining operations being suspended for several weeks. In 2014 the mine was placed under care and maintenance while the company waited for a water use license application to be approved.

• Operator: South African Coal Mining Holdings Ltd
• Owner: South African Coal Mining Holdings Ltd
• Location: Ermelo, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
• Coordinates: -26.37524283, 29.99049002 (Exact)
• Status: Operating (Care and Maintenance (2014))
• Capacity: 0.96 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) (2011)
• Total Resources: 32.5 million tonnes (2012)
• Mineable Reserves: 5.05 million tonnes (2012)
• Coal Type: Bituminous (Thermal)
• Mine Type: Surface and underground
• Start Year:
• Source of Financing:

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.