Cerrejón is a coal mine located in the Guajira department in the north of Colombia. Coal mining is the extraction or removal of Coal from the Earth by Mining. The Department of La Guajira or simply La Guajira (la ɰwa'hiɾa is a department of Colombia. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. It is the largest mining operation in Colombia and among the largest open-pit coal mines in the world. Open-pit mining, also known as opencast mining and open-cut mining and strip mining, refers to a method of extracting rock or Minerals The legal entity managing the Cerrejón operation is known as the Cerrejón Coal Company, and was started as a joint venture of three international mining firms BHP Billiton, Anglo American Plc and Glencore International AG, each with a 33. A joint venture (often abbreviated JV) is an entity formed between two or more parties to undertake economic activity together Glencore International AG (management buy out of Marc Rich & Co AG) is one of the world's largest suppliers of commodities and raw materials and is also among 3% shareholding; in 2006, Glencore's operations were bought by Xstrata Plc. Xstrata plc ( ( is an international mining company listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the SWX Swiss Exchange.
The output of the mine in 2004 was 24. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 9 million tons (compared to total global hard coal production of 4,600 million tons). Cerrejón contributes about half of Colombia's coal exports of 52 million tons, with Colombia ranked sixth among major coal exporting nations. [1] The company plans to expand production to 32 million tons by 2008. [2]
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History
The Cerrejón mine is divided into three main zones. Development of the north zone began in 1976 as a joint venture between Carbocol (owned by the Colombian government) and Intercor (owned by ExxonMobil). The Exxon Mobil Corporation, or ExxonMobil, is an American oil and gas Corporation and a direct descendant of John D The total investment in the project, including the mine, port and infrastructure, was approximately US$3,000 million. The original joint venture was for 33 years, but the expiration date has since been extended to 2034.
In November 2000, the government sold its 50% share in the venture to a consortium of BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Glencore International. Anglo American PLC () is a world-wide group of companies, originally founded in South Africa as a Mining enterprise but now extending into other areas Glencore International AG (management buy out of Marc Rich & Co AG) is one of the world's largest suppliers of commodities and raw materials and is also among This consortium acquired the remaining 50% from ExxonMobil in February 2002, for US$366 million.
Production in the central zone began in 1981. It was owned by several companies before being acquired by Glencore International in 1995. Anglo American and BHP Billiton joined the venture in 1997 and 2000, respectively.
The three partners acquired the exploration and production rights to the south zone in 1997. As of 2005, this zone remained at the evaluation stage. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Production
The operation is an open-pit mine, in which the topsoil and other material is cleared away to expose the coal seam. Open-pit mining, also known as opencast mining and open-cut mining and strip mining, refers to a method of extracting rock or Minerals The coal is loaded onto trucks that carry it to the crushing facilities and then to two silos, from where it is loaded onto trains.
The company has its own 150km standard-gauge railroad, connecting the mine to its coal-loading terminal at Puerto Bolívar on the Caribbean coast. There are two 120-car unit trains, each carrying 12,000 tons of coal per trip. The round-trip time for each train, including loading and unloading, is about 12 hours. The coal facilities at the port are capable of loading 4,800 tons per hour on to vessels of up to 175,000 tons of dead weight.
The mine, railroad and port operate 24 hours per day.
Cerrejón directly employs 4,600 workers, with a further 3,800 employed by contractors.
The reserves at Cerrejón are low-sulfur, low-ash, bituminous coal. Bituminous coal is a relatively soft Coal containing a tarlike substance called Bitumen. The coal is mostly used for electric power generation, with some also used in steel manufacture. The surface mineable reserves for the current contract are 330 million tons. However, total proven reserves to a depth of 300 metres are 3,000 million tons.
References
- ^ Coal Facts. World Coal Institute (2005). Retrieved on 2006-03-09. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia.
- ^ "Cerrejón Coal Mine Expansion to 32 Million Tons", presentation to Colombia Leadership Forum (PDF). Cerrejón (2005). Retrieved on 2006-03-09. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia.
See also
External links
- Cerrejón Coal website. Puerto Bolívar Airport (Aeropuerto Puerto Bolívar is a private airport located in the Guajira Department of Colombia. Contains information on operations as well as the company's environmental and community projects.
- BHP Billiton - Cerrejon Coal Company. Information from one of the three shareholders in the mine.
- Mining-Technology.com. Cerrejón information at a mining industry website.
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