The update represents a massive 485% increase on the site’s maiden resource announced in March 2011 at only 414 million tonnes.
Hodges managing director Mark Major said the material increase in the resource estimate along with the project’s open cut potential made Morupule South an exciting prospect.
“We have identified significant shallow thick coal seams and have the coal quality to support moving this project into the next stage of development,” he said.
“The coal quality and the low strip ratios are extremely encouraging and now the confirmation of a 2.3 billion tonne JORC inferred resource puts Morupule South on the radar of a number of prospective end users and strategic investors.”
Morupule covers a total of 264.4sq.km directly to the south of the operational Morupule colliery in central-east Botswana.
Hodges is completing a joint venture earn-in for 75% and up to 99% in Morupule with the Botswana-based SDNP Manufacture Mining and Construction Services.
