Exxaro Resources

Exxaro Resources "is the largest South African-based diversified resources group, with interests in the coal, mineral sands, base metals, industrial minerals and iron ore commodities.". While the company has interests in a range of commodities, in 2009 revenue from coal accounted for 65% of the company's income.

"Collectively, seven coal mines produce 42,7Mtpa [million tonnes per annum] of thermal, metallurgical and coking coal, most of which is thermal coal for consumption by the national power utility, Eskom. Grootegeluk is one of the lowest-cost and most efficient mining operations in the world, and operates the world’s largest coal beneficiation complex." (Elsewhere on its website, Exxaro states that it has eight coal mining operations whoch 'produce 44,8Mtpa of power station, steam and coking coal.")

"The South African mineral sands operations are housed in KZN Sands, while those abroad reside in Australia Sands where the principal asset is a 50% share in the Tiwest joint venture with Tronox Inc. The KZN Sands operation is based near Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal and uses innovative techniques. Once the acquisition of the Namakwa Sands operation on the Western Cape west coast is finalised, Exxaro will be one of the world’s largest suppliers of titanium dioxide feedstock and zircon."

"The Rosh Pinah zinc/lead mine in southern Namibia and the Zincor refinery in Gauteng make up one of the few integrated zinc mining and refinery operations in the world. The Zincor electrolytic refinery is also one of the lowest-cost producers of zinc metal in the global market place. Exxaro also has an interest in the Chifeng zinc smelter in China. A dedicated plant in Pretoria manufactures high-quality atomised ferrosilicon while Glen Douglas dolomite quarry provides a range of products to steelworks and other consumers."

Exxaro's Coal Projects
On its website, Exxaro states that it has "eight managed coal mines produce 44,8Mtpa of power station, steam and coking coal. All power station coal produced is supplied to the national power utility, Eskom. Grootegeluk is one of the most efficient mining operations in the world, and operates the world’s largest coal beneficiation complex. There is a strong pipeline of greenfield and expansion projects under way that will culminate in Exxaro becoming one of the largest coal producers in South Africa." It also states that it aims to produce 75 million tonnes of coal by 2015.

Exxaro Resources South African coal projects are:
 * Arnot coal mine an underground coal mine which produced 5.2 million tonnes of power station coal in 2009, all of which was for Eskom;
 * Grootegeluk coal mine an open cut mine which produced over 15 million tonnes of power station coal for Eskom in 2009. Another 1.2 million tonnes of semi-soft coking coal was also produced of which a little under half was for export;
 * Inyanda coal mine, an open cut mine which produced a little over 1.7 million tonnes of steam coal in 2009, of which 93% was exported;
 * Leeuwpan coal mine an open cut mine which produced approximately 1.8 million tonnes of steam coal in 2009, overwhelmingly for the domestic market, and 1.3 million tonnes of power station coal for Eskom;
 * Matla coal mine an underground coal mine which produced 11.2 million tonnes of power station coal in 2009, all of which was for Eskom;
 * New Clydesdale coal mine an underground coal mine which produced 795,000 tonnes of steal coal, almost entirely for the export market and 2.5 million tonnes of power station coal for Eskom;
 * North Block Complex coal mine an underground coal mine which produced 572,000 tonnes of steam coal in 2009 for the domestic market;
 * Tshikondeni coal mine an underground coal mine which produced 1.29 million tonnes of steam coal in 2009, of which 19% was exported. It also produced 259,000 tonnes of coking coal for ArcelorMittal.

In October 2004 Exxaro's predecessor company, Kumba Resources, signed a heads of agreement with Anglo Coal Australia for an "investigation into the joint development" of Kumba's Moranbah South Mining Development Lease (MDL) "with the southern portion of Anglo Coal's adjacent Grosvenor lease" in the Bowen Basin in Queensland, Australia. Exxaro's 2009 Annual report lists the company as a 50% shareholder in the Moranbah Coal Project.

In July 2012, Exxaro began undertaking an environmental-impact assessment and public participation process for its proposed 1,200 MW coal-fired power station, near Lephalale in Limpopo, South Africa. The proposed site is 17 km north-west of Lephalale, near its Grootegeluk coal mine and State power utility Eskom's Matimba Power Station and Medupi Power Station. The generated power would be directed into the electricity grid at a point still to be determined with Eskom.

Senior staff
As of May 2010, some of Exxaro's senior staff are:
 * Mxolisi Mgojo, Executive General Manager, Coal
 * Ernst Venter, Executive General Manager, Business Growth

Directors
As of May 2010, Exxaro Resources directors were:


 * Sipho Abednego Nkosi - CEO
 * Willem Abraham De Clerk - Financial director
 * Jurie Johannes Geldenhuys
 * Ufikile Khumalo
 * Deenadayalen Konar
 * Vincent Zwelibanzi Mntambo
 * Richard Peter Mohring
 * Nkululeko Leonard Sowazi
 * Jeffrey Van Rooyen
 * Dalikhaya Zihlangu

Former directors

 * Constantinus Johannes Fauconnier - CEO
 * Michael James Kilbride - COO
 * Dirk Johannes Van Staden - CFO
 * Philip Michael Baum
 * Mavuso Msimang
 * Pinkie Kedibone Veronica Ncetezo
 * Nonkululeko Merina Cheryl Nyembezi-Heita

Contact Details
Exxaro Corporate Centre Pretoria, South Africa P: +27 12 307 5000 F: +27 12 323 3400

Roger Dyason Road Pretoria West 0183 South Africa

PO Box 9229 Pretoria 0001 South Africa Web: http://www.exxaro.com

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * South Africa and coal