Coal miner Makomo Resources says production at its Hwange mine is recovering after a slow start to the year, with May output at 140 000 tonnes, from 130 000 tonnes in April.
At its peak, Makomo’s monthly production averages 200 000 tonnes.
“We started on a low note this year, we were meeting our contractual orders for ZPC (Zimbabwe Power Company) which is 60 000 tonnes per month. Our average was around 80 000 tonnes but now we are picking up,” operations manager Kudakwashe Nyabonda said.
Makomo and Hwange Colliery Company are the major suppliers of coal to ZPC which uses between 3 000 and 4 000 tonnes of coal per day, and requires around 120 000 tonnes per month.
“The low note was caused by various reasons, including the fact that it was a rainy season. Forex allocation also contributed to low production. Most of our machines broke down and we wanted spares to fix them. We get our spares out of Zimbabwe so we need foreign currency to secure our spares in time.”
In February, the company’s director Ray Mutokonyi said the company’s output dropped to 30 percent of capacity following failure by ZPC to service its $25 million debt.
The coal miner expects to reach 160 000 tonnes in June and 1.5 million tonnes by year-end.- The Source
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