Court ratifies agreement to end environmental dispute on coal deposit near Arnot
A settlement between the Federation for a Sustainable Environment (FSE) and coal miner Exxaro on the lapsing of the environmental authorisation granted to Exxaro to mine coal deposits near the Arnot mine has been made an order of court. Exxaro was supplying Eskom with coal on a fixed-cost contract from Arnot under a long-term supply agreement which ended last December. The mine was closed, but Exxaro’s 2015 mineral resources and reserves statement said there were still about 17-million tonnes of saleable thermal coal on the property, which Exxaro had been preparing to mine. The FSE took Exxaro to court, arguing it had started certain listed activities without applying for an environmental authorisation under the National Environmental Management Act. Exxaro said it did not need this as it already had mining rights under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act. It applied for environmental approval as a matter of prudence, which was granted by Mpumalanga’s economic develo...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.