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Where is RBCT situated?RBCT is situated in the deep water port of Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal on the north-eastern coastline of South Africa.
Who are RBCT’s Shareholders?- Anglo Operations (Pty) Ltd
- ARM Coal (Pty) Ltd.
- BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
- Exxaro Coal (Pty) Ltd.
- Exxaro Coal Mpumalanga (Pty) Ltd.
- Glencore Operations South Africa (Pty) Ltd (previously Xstrata South Africa).
- Kangra Coal (Pty) Ltd.
- Koornfontein Mines (Pty) Ltd.
- Mmakau Mining (Pty) Ltd.
- Optimum Coal Terminal (Pty) Ltd.
- Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd.
- South African Coal Mine Holdings Limited.
- South Dunes Coal Terminal Company SOC Limited.
- Total Coal South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
- Tumelo Coal Mines (Pty) Ltd.
- Umcebo Mining (Pty) Ltd.
What equipment does RBCT use to handle the coal?Tandem Tipplers (5 500 tons per hour).
- 7 Stacker Reclaimers (average reclaim rate of 4 300 tons per hour).
- 2 Stackers (average stacking rate of 5 000 tons per hour).
- 1 Reclaimer (average reclaim rate of XXX tons per hour).
- 4 Shiploaders (“SL”)(SL1 and SL2 at 8 500 tons per hour as well as SL3 at 10 000 tons per hour and SL4 at 12 000 tons per hour).
- 9 Locomotives.
- 6 DN Dozers.
- 56 km of Conveyor Belting and Structures.
- 60 km of Railtrack in a private siding.
There are two sizes of rail wagons containing either 84 or 58 tons of coal.
The wagons are tipped by either one of the five Tandem Tipplers, each tipping the contents of two rail wagons simultaneously onto
the conveyor belt system.
The Site, measuring 276 hectares in extent, is serviced by seven bucketwheel Stacker Reclaimers, two Stackers, one Reclaimer and
one dedicated bypass Conveyor.
Coal is reclaimed at an average rate of 4 300 tons per hour from each Reclaimer.
How many Shiploaders does RBCT have?Four rail-mounted Shiploaders are in operation. Shiploaders 1 and 2 have a maximum flow rate of 8 500 tons per hour.
Shiploader 3 is capable of 10 000 tons per hour and Shiploader 4, being the largest, is capable of loading a ship at 11 000 tons per hour.
What is the Phase V Expansion?Phase V Expansion was the last major expansion undertaken by RBCT.
Phase V was commissioned during 2010, specifically for Black Owned Companies, which added 15 Million tons per annum (“Mt/a”) to
the Terminal, taking it from a 76 Mt/a to a 91 Mt/a facility.
What did the Phase V Expansion entail?- Additions and modifications to the rail network in the affected yards;
- a new 120 ton Locomotive;
- a rotary Tandem Tippler;
- a new sampling plant;
- an extension to the related Conveyor network, adding 3.8 km of Conveyors to the system;
- a Stacker Reclaimer;
- the construction of an additional 26 hectares of stockpile area, which accommodates an additional 13 stockpiles and increased
the stockpile design capacity by 1.4 million tons;
- the extension of the travel range of Shiploaders 3 and 4 to service the extended quay;
- electrical reticulation required for an 8 Mega Volt-Ampere increase in electrical demand;
- Civil Engineering work associated with the above;
- a 280 m extension of the quay (by the National Ports Authority) to provide 5 full Berths of 350 m each and the relocation
(by Spoornet) of the Carriage and Wagon facility.
What is RBCT doing to facilitate BEE mining firms at the Terminal?RBCT started the Quattro process, making available existing capacity to Junior Miners during 2004, with an initial capacity of 1 Mt/a.
This capacity escalated to 4 Mt/a and is administered by the Department of Mineral Resources for Junior Miners.
During 2010 RBCT made available an additional 3 Mt/a capacity to Eskom as well as an additional 12 Mt/a for a number of BEE companies.
RBCT’s current combined capacity in the hands of BEE companies and Junior Miners is in excess of 19 Mt.
RBCT is further exploring a Phase VI expansion of 19 Mt as well as methodologies to accommodate further Junior Miners.
RBCT has shown its commitment and continues to be committed in meeting the aspirations of all coal exporters through the facility.
What are RBCT's future plans for capacity expansion?RBCT will be investing in a Phase VI development, increasing the Terminal Capacity to 110 Mt/a.
This will provide for the short to medium term demand, with an additional 19 Mt/a for coal exporters, including Junior Miners.
How is the coal price determined?RBCT is a logistics facility and does not own coal or participate in the actual buying and selling of coal.
The pricing of coal through Richards Bay is generally referred to as the API4 price.
How does your operation affect the environment and do you have any environmental initiatives?The Terminal has a minimal impact on the fragile ecological balance in the surrounding area and has adopted as its logo the pelican,
to represent its ongoing campaign to ensure the co-existence of RBCT and the indigenous Zululand Flora and Fauna.
Several dust abatement mechanisms are in operation, including a network of computer-controlled water sprays which is
automatically activated in windy conditions.
Twenty Settling Ponds are positioned at strategic points to collect run-off water, allowing suspended coal particles to settle
and thereby preventing them from entering the harbor. Boreholes are spaced throughout the Terminal to monitor the quality of ground water.
The water analysis is carried out at an independent and accredited water laboratory to ensure the impartiality and accuracy of the tests.
In addition, another eight Settling Ponds as well as two 40 mega-litre Storage Dams enable us to recycle our water and further alleviate
the pressure on our most precious natural resource – water! More than 5 000 indigenous trees as well as shrubs have been planted to reduce
the effect of wind-borne coal dust and to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the Terminal.
RBCT is ISO 14001 accredited.
Why is coal important to South Africa and other countries?Historically coal has occupied one of the top three positions when it comes to foreign exchange earners for South Africa.
Coal mining is also a major employer within the South African economy.
By providing export capacity it allows miners to participate in both the domestic market as well as the export market,
thereby allowing the coal miners to supply Eskom at lower costs than had the export market not been accessible.
How many trains does RBCT receive in a year?Trains arrive at RBCT in sets of 200 trucks. Depending on the size of the trucks, each train can hold up to 16 800 tons.
The highest number of train sets of 200 trucks received was during 2005.
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