Johannesburg - Kibo Mining PLC said on Wednesday that a series of meetings held with the key Tanzanian stakeholders in the Mbeya Coal to Power Project (MCPP) had resulted in significant progress for the further development of the project.
Kibo is developing a 250-350MW mouth-of-mine thermal power station in its power and coal mine elements in south-western Tanzania.
The Tanzania-focused mineral exploration and development company said a recent request for an expedited development of the MCPP was followed by active interaction between all stakeholders which culminated in a series of progress meetings held this week.
Among key developments was an agreement on a clear agenda and associated schedule with relevant government stakeholders to work on specific development aspects of the MCPP that are dependent on negotiating with government.
Kibo said the environmental and social impact assessment submissions and the special mining licence application for the Mbeya coal mine and Mbeya Power station had also been duly processed for certification and were now awaiting final approval.
There was also engagement with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals on the latest developments in relation to possible further changes in mining policies and the Mining Act.
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Kibo said the engagement reconfirmed that its operations were not affected by the current debate on mining policies and the Mining Act.
Kibo chief executive, Louis Coetzee, said they had seen strong and committed engagement from all the Tanzanian stakeholders towards moving the MCPP development process forward over the past two weeks.
"From these meetings we have also developed a far better appreciation of the reasons for the perceived slow processing of the special mining licence application and environmental certification," Coetzee said.
"It is evident that the relevant departments concerned with the processing of these applications have taken a very diligent and pro-active approach given the integrated nature of the MCPP."