Case Studies

BHP Billiton - Partnership for Water Efficiency

Developing partnerships to mange water and supply drinking water to local municipalities 

Underground coal mining at South Witbank dates from around 1890 and ceased in August 1969. Since mining ended, water has percolated into the underground coal mine and flooded the area. The water required management due to the high salinity and acidity of the water.  A feasibility study demonstrated a need to manage the excess water through partnering with the local mining companies and identified an opportunity to supply drinking water to local municipalities. 

In 2002, BECSA and Anglo Operations Limited, acting through its Anglo Coal division (Anglo Coal) signed a joint initiative agreement to work with BHP Billiton to find a solution to manage water. As a result of this agreement, the eMalahleni Water Reclamation Project is a pioneering private-public partnership that includes the eMalahleni (previously Witbank) Local Municipality. The project aim was to remove excess water and to desalinate it to provide a potable water supply to the municipality's water-stressed reservoirs.

The project partners were required to secure the buy-in of several government departments and to co-ordinate and consult frequently with bodies including the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, the Department of Minerals and Energy, and the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs.

After an environmental impact assessment was completed, the water reclamation plant was constructed and jointly managed by Anglo Coal and BECSA.  Anglo Coal provided capital funding to construct the water reclamation plant including pumping stations, a treatment plant, storage dam and water distribution pipeline to the municipal reservoirs. The plant treats and converts acidic mine water to potable water. The plant recovers 99% potable water from surface and underground mine water.

The project began supplying potable water to the eMalahleni Local Municipality on 1 October 2007.  Officially opened on the 21 November 2007, the plant has achieved design capacity of 14 million litres per day, increasing to 20 million litres per day by January 2009.  It is able to supply 20% of the local community's daily water requirements.