The mine, based in Mpumalanga province, north of Johannesburg, supplies thermal coal to the national power utility, ESKOM.
Last year, output from the longwall steadily improved with three records set for monthly production.
The mine achieved 376,423t in June 2002 and 391,432t in September. Then in October the mine broke production records for the third time, with the 1.95 metre coal seam operation achieving an output of 406,303t.
For the full year ended December 2002, the mine's Okhozini Shaft produced 3.9 million tonnes some 36% better than the previous year’s result.
In the first three months of 2003 longwall output has averaged 358,200 tonnes per month, compared with 311,000tpm in 2002 and 198,000tpm in 2001.
An article on some of the changes New Denmark has implemented over the last year will be published in the June 2003 edition of Australia's Longwalls.
