Results from metallurgical test work at Kibo Mining's (LON:KIBO) Mbeya coal resource have increased management's confidence in the coal-to-power project in Tanzania.
The company sent a number of samples from its recent drilling programme for analysis, with each composite sample being analysed on several counts, including: average relative density, gross calorific value, sulphur content, inherent moisture, abrasiveness, hydrogen and carbon content.
All the consulting experts concluded that the coal metallurgy and quality was suitable for use in a fluidised bed coal power station.
Lime injection technology will be able to comfortably keep sulphur dioxide emissions within required international emission standards while ash content was within tolerance levels for similar coal deposits in Southern Africa, the analysis determined.
“The results from the metallurgical test work on the Mbeya coal resource, marks another major step forward in the development of the MCPP [Mbeya coal-to-power project],” said Louis Coetzee, chief executive of Kibo Mining.
“Feasibility work done to date on the Mbeya coal resource independently concluded that the mining component of the MCPP is a very robust mining project with outstanding economic and technical fundamentals. This did, however, not consider specific metallurgical properties of the coal as such and whether the properties of the Mbeya coal would be equally complimentary to the technical fundamentals of the power component of the MCPP,” Coetzee explained.