Work on a box cut started in July with the recent blast made in hard overburden material to expose the upper coal seam.
Australia-listed Universal said first run of mine coal was scheduled for this month but would be used as the base for stockpiles while the rest of the box cut coal would be used to commission the December-planned crushing and screening plant.
The project in the Witbank coalfield is targeting 2.1 million tonnes per annum of saleable production, with 2Mt designated for utility Eskom and 100,000 tonnes of the higher quality product to be exported through major South African coal miner Exxaro.
