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Still time to object to coal mine

 

Members of the public are invited to comment on the proposed amendments that CoAL of Africa Limited, or rather MC Mining as they are now known, want to make to their Makhado Lite Project (MLP) environmental authorisation (EA).

Towards the end of last year, MC Mining announced that they would, through a subsidiary company called Baobab Mining and Exploration Pty Limited (Baobab), apply for certain amendments to their existing EA.

The amendments were necessitated to factor in the impact that the transportation of coal will have on local roads. Coal from the Makhado Colliery, situated in the Nzhelele valley near Mudemeli Village, needs to be transported to the railway station in Musina. In their amended environmental report, Baobab proposed three possible routes, of which the shortest one will follow the N1 north into Musina.

Road transport, instead of railway transport, needed to be considered as a result of the downsizing of the Makhado Mine. In terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, a mine is obligated to draft a new environmental report that factors in any changes and proposed mitigations thereof, to be approved by the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET).

Currently, the Makhado Project holds an executable mining right. All that stands in the way of the mine’s becoming operational is the final authorisation of the amendments to the environmental impact assessment report and the lifting of a suspension on the water-use licence. An automatic suspension was placed on the water licence, following the Vhembe Mineral Resources Forum’s objection to the Department of Water Affairs’ granting thereof.

In the meantime, interested and affected parties are invited to comment on the new environmental report by contacting the mine’s Public Participation Office at Tel 012 543 9093 or by writing an email to [email protected]. Parties will be afforded 30 calendar days (calculated from 15 January 2018) to submit their comments. Afterwards, dates for public hearings will be published.

News - Date: 19 January 2018

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

Email: [email protected]

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