Botswana has commissioned a new coal mine at state-owned Morupule Coal Mine (MCM) to boost its exports amid surging demand for the commodity since the start of Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine earlier this year, reported Reuters.

The new 1.4 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) mine has been launched by Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

MCM was the country’s only operating mine until 2019 when coal mining and trading company Minergy commissioned a new 1.2Mtpa coal mine.

According to estimates, the country holds 212 billion tonnes of coal resources.

In the wake of the global energy crisis, several European and Asian countries are scrambling for alternative fuel sources to Russian energy.

Botswana is looking to become a key coal producer. The country already increased sea-borne exports this year, through Walvis Bay and Maputo.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

MCM currently produces 2.8Mtpa of coal a year from its underground operations. The production is fed to two nearby state-owned power stations and is also exported to South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

The new open cast mine is expected to raise MCM’s production capacity by 50% to 4.2Mtpa.

MCM aims to increase its coal production capacity to 7.6Mtpa by 2027. This, in turn, is expected to help grow revenue to BWP3bn ($222.6m) from the anticipated BWP1bn in 2023.

Masisi was quoted by the news agency as saying: “Botswana must seize this opportune time which has presented itself to us, to fully exploit this resource to feed the emerging and diverse markets.”

The open cast mine is expected to have an operational life of more than 30 years.