The ESIAs are an essential element of the Mbeya Coal to Power Project (MCPP) approval process, stated Kibo Mining which is a minerals exploration and development company focused on Tanzania.
The MCPP will see the development of a coal mine alongside a ‘mine mouth’ power station aimed to meet the acute requirement for power in Tanzania. China-based SEPCO III has been selected to provide the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) part of the project.
It also said that the ESIAs receipt is another milestone in the development of the critical energy project in the Eastern African country.
The ESIA application was filed with the government in February. It outlined Kibo Mining’s technical, environmental and social assessment of the two components of the coal to energy project to come up in the Songwe Region in South West Tanzania.
The application went through detailed review by all relevant authorities and major stakeholders before a decision was made on its approval, stated Kibo Mining.
According to the company, the ESIA is made up of an important element of corporate social responsibility and eventually, of its licence to operate.
Kibo Mining CEO Louis Coetzee said: “The endorsement of the MCPP as a consequence of the ESIA certification cannot be underestimated – this is probably the most important enabler for the successful and expeditious completion of the remaining development work on the MCPP.
“Furthermore, we have had several very productive meetings with the newly established Ministry of Energy over the past two weeks which confirmed our view that the Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) on the Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) is progressing well and that it will be finalized shortly.”
Kibo Mining plans to begin production at the MCPP 36 months after the signing of the MOU and the final PPA.
