Vlakvarkfontein Coal Mine
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Vlakvarkfontein Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Vlakvarkfontein Coal Mine | Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, South Africa[1][2][3] | -26.09176, 28.903528 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating[4] | – | 2010[5] | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 0.964[2] | 2020[2] | Surface[2] | Open Pit[3] | – | 60* | 367.1365072* |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | 7[5] | Witbank[2] | Bituminous[2] | Thermal | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Reliable African Energy NV [100.0%][3] | Reliable African Energy NV | South Africa, Netherlands |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saleable[6] | – | 1.2[7] | – | – | 1.2[8] | 1.4[6] | – | – | – |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Vlakvarkfontein Coal Mine, also known as Ntshovelo Colliery is a surface mine in Delmas, Mpumalanga, South Africa.[9] Continental Coal operates the mine, which is owned by Mbuyelo Coal, which is in turn owned by Ichor Coal. [10][9] The mineuses truck and shovel methods to provide thermal coal to Eskom their primary consumer. The mine has a projected life of 6 years. [11]
- Operator: Ntshovelo Mining Resources (Pty) Ltd [11]
- Owner: Ichor Coal [10]
- Location: Delmas, Mpumalanga, South Africa [11]
- Coordinates: -26.09176, 28.903528 (Exact)
- Status: Operating
- Capacity: 1.32 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) [11]
- Total Reserves:
- Mineable Reserves: 7 million tonnes [12]
- Coal Type: Bituminous (Thermal)
- Mine Type: Surface
- Start Year: 2010 [11]
- 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.
References
- ↑ http://www.ichorcoal.com/our-business/operations-map/mpumalanga-province.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 https://www.dmre.gov.za/API/Evotiva-UserFiles/FileActionsServices/DownloadFile?ItemId=6805&ModuleId=1414&TabId=162.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.ichorcoal.com/our-business/operations-map/mpumalanga-province/ntshovelo.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF). 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20260319165950/https://reliableafricanenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FS-2023-Ichor-Coal-Reliable-African-Energy-incl-aud-rep-UNSIGNED-sec.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2026-03-19. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 (PDF) https://www.mbuyelo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Download-Mbuyelo-Coal-Company-Profile-2018.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 (PDF) http://www.ichorcoal.com/media/71219/Ichor-Coal-FS-2022.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) http://www.ichorcoal.com/media/65052/2018-Financials.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240307032105/http://www.ichorcoal.com/media/70362/AFS-2021-Ichor-Coal-NV-website.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mbuyelo Coal, "MBUYELO ACQUIRES NTSHOVELO AND SCORES POINTS!", Mbyuleo Coal website, Accessed March 2021
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ichor Coal, "vlakvarkfontein", Ichor Coal website, Accessed March 2021
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Mbuyelo Coal, "Mining Projects", Mbuyelo Coal website, Accessed March 2021
- ↑ Mbuyelo Coal, "Company Profile", Mbuyelo Coal website, Accessed March 2021
