Maputo (Mozambique) – The government of Mozambique and the Vale mining company are considering using methane gas to generate electric power. The idea is to use the gas released during the process of mineral coal extraction. Vale should start commercial exploration at a mine in the province of Tete next year.
The information was confirmed by the Mozambican minister of Mineral Resources, Adbul Razak. "It is not known yet whether this power will be used by the national public network or by the mining company itself," he told public newspaper Notícias. The feasibility study should be carried out with help from Indian partners.
Vale has invested over US$ 720 million in assembling the Moatize Mine, which should start exporting metallurgical and thermal coal by June next year. According to estimates, exports should reach 1.2 million tonnes in 2011 alone. The reserves are projected at 870 million tonnes.
Vale began operating in Moatize in 2004, when it won a tender for conducting feasibility studies at the site, located over 1,700 north of the capital Maputo. In 2007, it received clearance for mining and started implementation works for the mine in the following year.
This Thursday (14), Vale laid the cornerstone of another project in Africa: the Konkola North copper mine, in Zambia. It is a joint venture worth approximately US$ 400 million with African Rainbow Minerals (ARM). Investment may reach up to US$ 1 billion over a five-year period.
Located in the Chililabombwe district, the project should start producing in 2013. With an estimated durability of 28 years, the mine should produce over 45,000 annual metric tonnes of ore, reaching a maximum volume of 100,000 in two years.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
