The coalfields were previous owned by CIC Energy.ACB managing director, Mothibedi Mothibedi has said that under a three-year tenure, the company will carry out a desktop study with the objective of developing a basic geological model of the Mmamabula area. At the same time, the company will carry out mine feasibility, infrastructure and option studies, coal utilisation, market and environmental and social programme research. "The envisaged project for the two blocks is the development of a mine for coal exports as well as for power generation. However, the clear development strategy will be guided by the coal qualities in the licence area," he said.
Anglo won the two blocks through open tender floated last June as part of the Coal Road Map, the government's blueprint for maximising returns and monetisation of the country's estimated 212 billion tonnes of coal resources.The two blocks sit adjacent to the 2.4-billion-tonne Mmamabula East coalfields, which were bought by Indian company, Jindal group from CIC Energy last year in a P860 million deal. Anglo is already a significant and active player in Botswana's mineral sector with an 85 percent ownership in De Beers, which in turn has a 50 percent stake in Debswana.
