Japanese company prospecting for coal in Mossurize

Technical personnel from a Japanese mining company are currently in Mozambique’s Manica province with plans to prospect for coal in the Mossurize district, the provincial director of Mineral Resources and Energy, Olavo Deniasse, recently stated.There are indications of the mineral’s presence in that district, though it must still be determined whether there is enough to justify commercial exploitation, Deniasse told the Maputo daily Notícias.Deniasse did not identify the Japanese company. He explained that prospecting work would begin after the environmental impact study is completed. The aim is to determine the deposit’s economic viability and probable lifespan if commercial exploitation is deemed possible.He nevertheless asserted that all signs indicate the existence of mineral coal in that region of Manica province, given that it is situated in a geological area designated as karoo, a word used in South Africa to indicate a previously swampy region where over the ages peat was transformed into coal deposits.Besides gold, precious and semi-precious stones and limestone, among other valuable minerals, recent research indicates the occurrence of diamonds near the Mozambique/Zimbabwe border and along the Save River in southern Manica province.