Maputo, Mozambique, 8 June – Over 1.7 billion tonnes of coal may be mined at an open-air mine in Benga, Mozambique’s Tete province, as of 2010, Televisão de Moçambique reported Wednesday in Maputo.

The news was reported during the presentation of the mining project’s environmental impact study. The project put forward by Riversdale Mining in partnership with Tata Sreel has two mining components and a plan to set up a coal-fired power station by Riversdale in partnership with Elgas.

Riversdale initially proposes to start mining in 2010 and continue operating until 2035, with three products extracted from the mine , coke coal for the steel industry, thermal coal for power plants and thermal coal for domestic use that will be sold to the Benga power station and on the local market.

Benga’s power station will have the capacity to generate 2,000 megawatts and according to the study will export power to South Africa.

The Benga mining area is located to the east of the city of Tete, in the Moatize district, covers an area of over 4,500 hectares and is bordered by the Zambezi and Revubuè rivers.

The study will now be submitted to the Ministry for the Coordination of Environmental Action for evaluation and approval. (macauhub)