Background
Stuart Coal (Pty) Ltd. is an existing coal mining company consisting of the Stuart Weltevreden and Goedgedacht Colliery, the East Block and the South Block Collieries. The Stuart Coal (Pty) Ltd. collieries are situated in the Victor Khanye Local Municipality in the Nkangala District Municipality of the Mpumalanga Province. The Stuart Weltevreden and Goedgedacht Colliery is situated approximately 7 km east, the East Block is situated approximately 10 km east, and the South Colliery is situated approximately 15 km to the east of the town of Delmas in Mpumalanga.
Application
The Stuart South Colliery Infrastructure Upgrade Project entails proposed new infrastructure within the approved mine boundary of the South Block. Proposed new infrastructure includes the following:
- Plant area (including a processing plant, filter press plant, stockpiles, material handling, crushing spiral plant, thickeners, and a reservoir.)
- Stockpiles.
- Substation and generator.
- Clean pipeline and dirty water pipelines and water supply.
- Workshop area (including diesel storage bowsers).
- Weigh bridge.
- Waste yard.
- Security building.
- Offices.
- Explosives magazine.
- Internal roads (access and haul roads).
- Sewage collection, and other related support infrastructure.
Therefore, Stuart Coal applied for authorisation in terms of Section 102 under the MPRDA (2002) for the amendment of the approved EMP. The application also included an application for Environmental Authorisation in terms of the requirements of the NEMA (1998) for an S&EIR[1] process, as required by the MPRDA (2002).
Stuart Coal also applied for and was granted a Water Use Licence (WUL) in terms of the requirements of the NWA (1998) for Water Uses associated with the project.
Integrated Environmental Authorisation in terms of the NEMA, 1998, as amended, the regulations thereunder and the NEM:WA, 2008 and regulations thereunder.
The EIAR and EMPR, dated 22 December 2021 was subsequently approved by the DMRE on the 13th of August 2024 by the Regional Manager: Mineral Regulation: Mpumalanga Regional Office and made available on the 16th of August 2024. A copy of the approval document is available for download below.
Should you wish to appeal any aspect of the decision, an appeal in terms of the appeal procedure provided for in Chapter 2 of the National Appeal Regulations (R.993 of 2014) must be submitted to the Minister of Environmental Affairs within 20 days of the date of this notification thus by 16 September 2024, and copied to the holder of the Mining Right and the DMRE. Details regarding the appeals process can be found in the approval document and in the National Appeal Regulations (R.993 of 2014) (contact details will be provided on written request and are included on the approval document available for download below).
[1] S&EIR: Scoping and Environmental Impact Report