China’s Qingdao Hengshun Zongsheng has signed a memorandum of understanding to invest $113.94m in acquiring a 34% stake in CoAL subsidiary, Baobab Mining and Exploration.

Baobab holds mining rights for the Makhado project, a hard coking coal project in Soutpansberg Coalfield, 36km north of Makhado town in South Africa’s Limpopo province.

CoAL stated that the proposed investment is subject to a $400m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract, which is being awarded to Hengshun.

"The MoU and the proposed investment by Hengshun is another step towards bringing the Makhado project into production."

The contract value is expected to be confirmed upon completion of a front-end engineering and design, which is set to take place during the first half of 2016.

Coal of Africa CEO David Brown said: "The MoU and the proposed investment by Hengshun is another step towards bringing the Makhado project into production.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

"Together with the imminent receipt of the water use licence the formalisation of the MoU into a subscription and sale agreement will greatly assist the company in completing the outstanding requirements for the Makhado project and commencing the planned construction by H2 CY2016."

Total expenditure on the Makhado project is estimated to be R3.96bn ($406.3m).

The project received environmental authorisation in August 2013. It is expected to produce 2.3 million tonnes (Mt) of coking coal and 3.2Mt of thermal coal a year.