El Hatillo mine

The El Hatillo mine is owned and operated by Vale Colombia, a wholly owned subsidiary of the global mining company, Vale.

The company states that the mine, which produces thermal coal, is located in 210 kilometers southeast of Santa Marta in the central portion of the Cesar Department in Colombia. The company states that "the concession area is adjacent to the town of La Loma and encompasses an area of 9,693 hectares."

In its outline of capital expenditure plans for 2011, Vale stated that the mine, which had US$102 million earmarked for it, is "ramping up to reach its nominal capacity of 4.5 Mtpy in 2012."

The company states that the mine is likely to be depleted by 2021.

Sale to Goldman Sachs
In 2012, Vale Colombia agreed to sell its thermal coal assets in Colombia for $407 million to a unit of Goldman Sachs. The divestiture includes Vale’s El Hatillo mine, the Cerro Largo deposit, a port facility on the Atlantic coast of Colombia, and an 8.4 percent stake in the railway that links the mines with the port.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Colombia and coal
 * Australia and coal
 * China and coal
 * Mongolia and coal
 * Mozambique and coal
 * Vale's coal interests