Each of the four projects needed to support coal supply to the Matla Power station is in different stages of development. These include:

Relocation of Matla Mine 1 The primary objective of this project is to provide safe access to the remaining coal reserves and improve efficiency after the original Mine 1 entrance was closed due to safety concerns. The project was initiated in 2006 and will consist of developing a new box cut and tunnels to access the current coal reserves. It will also require the construction of new surface infrastructure, including pollution control dams, offices, overland conveyors, as well as crushing and screening equipment.

Short Wall replacement Matla Mine 1 currently has both short wall (SW) and continuous mining (CM) operations, but the geological conditions to support SW mining methods are fast coming to an end. The remaining coal reserves will need to be mined using CM methods, and the objective of this project is to replace the soon-to-be redundant SW equipment with its CM equivalent to ensure continued supply to the Matla Power Station.

North-West Access Matla Mines 2 and 3 produce coal from two blended seams containing the quality of product necessary for the Matla Power Station – yet both seams’ minable reserves are rapidly diminishing, and both mines will need to find other rich areas to mine.

The objective of this project is to provide access to the remaining mineable reserves by improving access through the tunnels between the mineable seams of both Mines 2 and 3. Implementation of this project allows for access to adequate reserves to the end of Matla Power Station’s remaining lifespan, with implementation expected to take approximately 45 months.

Mine 3 Vent Shaft This north-west access project provides mining and production access to the newly available reserves in Mine 3. However, the previous ventilation system was insufficient for the new increase in activity in these sections and needed to be improved. Additional ventilation ensures worker health and safety as these new pockets of coal are exposed and mined.