The east Africa-focused explorer was granted the North Rukuru tenement covering 318sq.km immediately south of its existing ML0143/2005 tenement.
It was also granted the Ngana tenement covering 231sq.km just south of the Tanzanian border.
Historical exploration on the tenements shows both sites host large, shallow coal resources.
A recent due diligence program located numerous outcropping coal seams throughout the lease areas with good-quality thermal properties.
Intra Energy will conduct a significant exploration program over the next four months with the aim of obtaining a JORC resource upon completion.
These coal resources will cement Intra Energy's plans for supplying Malawian coal to an Intra
Energy sponsored thermal coal fired power to be developed at Chipoka in Malawi’s central region.
The company simultaneously announced its success in obtaining a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of the Republic of Malawi for the construction and operation of the 120MW power station.
The parties have agreed that the electricity generated from the Project is to be sold to the
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) and other third parties under separate power purchase agreements and transmitted and distributed by ESCOM under a Wheeling Agreement.
Intra Energy chairman Graeme Robertson said the project was an important step in the company’s east-Afrcian expansion.
"This project is very significant as the MOU was signed directly with the Government of Malawi rather than by the power utility, ESCOM. Malawi currently produces approximately 287MW from mainly hydro resources which are subject to climate change and unlike coal-fired plants, are not base load generation,” he said.
“The coal supply for this generating facility will be supplied from Intra Energy’s Malcoal Mine in Malawi and be backed by available coal from IEC's mining operations in Tanzania.
“This forms a central part of the company's policy of developing power projects locked into coal supply from IEC, thereby creating profit centres for the coal supply and equity in the generating plant as well as providing to the country and its people the electricity so important in industrialisation, village electrification and economic development."
