(Ecofin Agency) - Unicorn Capital Partners, active on Nkomati anthracite mine in South Africa, announced its target to meet 40% of the country’s anthracite needs over the next 3-5 years. The mine, 50.3%-owned by the company, hosts a total mineral resource of 8.7 million tons. “Until fairly recently it was generally viewed that South Africa has limited commercially viable anthracite resources and that we’ve become dependent on imports.  That seems to now have changed with the successful redevelopment of Nkomati anthracite,” CEO Jacques Badenhorst told Mining Weekly. 

According to the manager, compared to other local mines, Nkomati’s anthracite is of a particular high grade with low impurity level. To date, Samancor and Glencore are the two major anthracite buyers within the country. Samancor purchases 35,000 – 50,000 tons a month while Glencore captures 70,000 tons. 

“In total, there’s an estimated local consumption of 150,000 – 200,000 tons per month,” Badenhorst added.

Let’s note that anthracite is a variety of coal used to manufacture chemicals, plastics, but also used in the energy and steel sectors. Back in 2016, the global demand in metallurgical anthracite stood at 115 million tons.

Louis-Nino Kansoun