Once the permits are obtained, the company plans to set up a mining operation with an initial production capacity of 350 tonnes-per-day, with the aim of supplying coal to a nearby cement plant which had previously been purchasing coal from this mine and has already expressed interest in reinitiating the purchases.
Vena, through its subsidiary in Peru – Sudamericana de Carbon (SDC) – has reviewed several producing anthracite coal mines and is evaluating potential sites for its coal classification facility in northern Peru. SDC expects to acquire two or three of these properties with a view to increasing production levels to serve the needs of the local and international markets.
The geological sequence containing the coal seams corresponds to the Oyon formation of lower Cretaceous age. The coal seams outcrop on the east and west flanks of a north – south striking asymmetrical syncline. A number of coal seams hosted in dark gray slates and gray sandstones have been identified within the mining concession. Thicknesses of the seams varies from less than one metre to over four metres, Vena said.
The Alexia and Micaela seams are said to be significant due to their geological characteristics and their relatively continuous outcropping for over 670 metres with average thicknesses of 4.0 metres and 2.0 metres, respectively. The Alexia seam has been partially exploited but the old workings are currently collapsed due to the inadequate mining method used in the past.
The results obtained from chemical analyses of channel samples show ash content ranging from 6.0% to 31.5%; moderate to low volatile content ranging between 8.8% and 16.0%; fixed carbon ranging between 58.3% and 82.5%; and sulfur content below 1%.
