Sasol lays out its plans for Steenbokpan

Sasol Mining this week informed residents of Lephalale and Steenbokpan of its intention to  apply for environmental authorisation for its proposed Sasol Limpopo West Coal Mine in Steenbokpan near Lephalale.
According to Bertie Botha, Sasol mining’s Senior Manager of business development, the surface coal mine will be developed in three phases. He addressed people at an open day held at the Mogol Club explaining that Phase one, which should commence in 2015, will be situated on the farm Welgelegen 228 LQ. The lifespan of this small mine will be 10 years and around 140 people will be employed at the mine.
The first phase is expected to deliver 400 000 tonnes of coal per annum. Phase two and three are entirely dependent on the availability of water and rail facilities being developed. Water is anticipated to be sourced from Phase Two of the Mokolo and Crocodile River (West) Water Augmentation Project.
Phase Two will be situated on Welgelegen and Groenfontein 250 LQ and will deliver 16.4 tonnes of coal per annum.
The lifespan of this medium-sized mine will be 17 years and is planned for 2018/2019. Around 600 people will be employed at this operation.
Stage Three is not only dependent on water and rail but also on the domestic market for thermal coal. This large-scale mine will have a life expectancy of 80 years and will be situated on above mentioned farms as well as Vlakfontein 264 LQ, Duikersfontein 688 LQ, Gannavlakte 299 LQ and Ringbult 303 LQ. The mine could employ up to 3800 people and should deliver 45 - 90 tonnes of coal per annnum.
The application for environmental authorization is subject to the undertaking of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and approval of an environmental management programme (EMP) by the Department of Mineral Resources.
To comply with legislation, an EIA process will be undertaken for the preparation of an EIA Report. Individual applications will be made for the water use licence and forestry permits. These reports and applications will need to be submitted to the designated government departments for authorisation purposes. The public is invited to voice concerns and raise questions regarding the project as part of the scoping phase of the EIA process.
To register as an interested and affected party, submit your name, contact information, and substantiated interest in the project to Marti Le Roux, tel: 012 421 3615; fax: 012 421 3601; post: PO Box 3173, Pretoria, 0001; e-mail: limpwsmine@bksemd.co.za by no later than 25 February 2013.