Mozambique: Partial shutdown at Moatize coal mine having ‘reduced impact’ – Vale

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Mozambique: Partial shutdown at Moatize coal mine having ‘reduced impact’ – Vale

7:00 CAT | 18 Oct 2018

File photo: Lusa

A partial shutdown of a coal mine in Moatize, the western province of Tete, Mozambique, is having a reduced impact on production, the company that runs the unit said on Wednesday.

Vale, a multinational mining company based in Brazil, has “one-third of its operations” in Moatize at a standstill, the source said, adding that this corresponds to “one of four sections” of the mine, but “with a reduced impact on production.”

The company added that “it maintains an open dialogue with the communities on the issues presented” – a reference topollution from the mine that on 5 October led to protests and the consequent partial shutdown of work at the mine.

Locals have demanded the closure of section four of the mine, complaining that detonations being carried out there are harmful to health and are causing pollution levels above what is tolerable.

The company has said that the claims were legitimate and that, while continuing to talk to locals, it is seeking ways to reduce the spread of dust.

In May the company’s Mozambique unit, which has the largest concession of mineral coal in the country, announced that it had in 2017 had a net profit of 66.3 billion meticais (€928 million), up 31% on 2016.

It expects to export 13 million tonnes of coal this year, having exported 20 million tonnes in the first two years of production.

Vale’s concession in Mozambique has the capacity to produce 22 million tonnes of coal a year, but it is not yet operating at full tilt.

Source: Lusa