Description
Malawi only has one coal mining company namely Mchenga Coal mines which has a production target of 5000 t a month. The company supplies coal to the country’s big companies such as Southern Bottlers, Carlsberg (malawi), Chibuku Products and Ethanol and Lever Brothers (Malawi). The companies use coal as a supplementary source of energy because the main source of energy, hydroelectric power is unreliable in Malawi since the country usually faces electricity blackouts mainly due to the problem of river siltation.
Mchenga Coal Mines also exports 1000 t of coal per month to the Tanzanian cement producer Mbeya Cement. The company is also preparing to carry out a core drilling programme as part of its exploration initiative for additionalk coal reserves in its northern Livingstonia coalfields.
There are five identified coalfields in Malawi, with estimated reserves of 20 million tons and 750 million tons of probable reserves. The other coalfields in Malawi which are still unexploited include the Lengwe and Mwabvi coalfields in the southern lower Shire valley districts of Chikwawa ans Nsanje respectively. The main consumers of coal are in cement manufacturing, textiles and soap-making although there is potential use for coal in the tea and tobacco industries.
Organisations (1)
Mchenga Coal Mines
Facilities (2)
Mchenga, Tengani
Participating Organisations
Mchenga Coal Mines