Story by Tichaona Kurewa
THE revitalisation of coal mining giant, Hwange Colliery Company (HCCL), continues to unfold with the coal miner’s Wash Plant nearing completion.
The turnaround strategy implemented by HCCL over the past two years has seen the company returning to profitability including resuscitating key assets of the firm such as the Coke Oven Battery decommissioned in 2017.
It is the Coke Oven Battery which the Wash Plant will feed with clean coal suitable for the production of coke, a key ingredient in steel production.
HCCL management highlights progress made to date in the setting up of the plant and its significance in the mining sector value chain.
“In terms of capacity, this plant can do around 720 000 tonnes per annum with a minimum recovery rate of about 80 percent. The total investment that we have put in as a company stands at around US$3.2 million. We are now over 90 percent, what is only left is to do the final touch-ups of the water reticulation plant,” said HCCL’s chief executive officer, Mr William Gambiza.
HCCL’s corporate affairs executive, Dr Beauty Mutombe said, “When we came up with an idea of resuscitating our coke oven battery, we then said what is the capacity we have to wash, we saw it that we didn’t have enough capacity to wash the coal to feed the oven battery and to feed the market. This was the birth of this plant.”
The successful revival of HCCL is expected to have a positive ripple effect on the economy, generating more jobs, foreign currency and industrial activity.
Last year, the company earned US$169 million in sales revenue, a testament to its growth prospects.
