Universal starts production at New Clydesdale

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Australia-listed Universal Coal has started production at its New Clydesdale Colliery (NCC) operation, in South Africa.

First production of run-of-mine (RoM) coal occurred on Thursday from the Diepspruit underground area, with the first continuous miner section coming on stream.

Operations are expected to ramp up to full capacity before the end of December, and during the first phase of operations, NCC is expected to produce 900 000 t/y of RoM export-quality thermal coal.

Universal reported on Friday that the Phase 2 development of the NCC continued to advance, and would see the development of an openpit operation at the adjacent Roodekop project to deliver an additional two-million tonnes a year of RoM thermal coal.

Meanwhile, Universal said that agreement with potential offtake partners for the Phase 1 production was being finalised, with first coal sales expected in September.