ENVIRONMENTAL challenges threaten Exxaro’s plans to start construction of the R3bn Belfast coal mine in 2016, as well as its future plans for the remaining resources at Arnot coal mine. Exxaro’s management said when presenting interim results two weeks ago that Belfast would produce 2.7-million tonnes of coal a year, starting in the fourth quarter of 2019, which was a year later than originally intended because of the rezoning process. It warned there could be further delay if an appeal were granted. The Federation for a Sustainable Environment (FSE) and a cherry farmer, Highlands Organics, have challenged Exxaro’s mining licence, water-use licence, rezoning permission, and environmental authorisation for Belfast mine, which will be adjacent to the cherry farm. Highlands Organics has raised procedural problems with the local municipality’s approval of Exxaro’s rezoning application for the Belfast site, and has challenged the environmental authorisation, on the grounds that the harmf...
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