Morupule Colliery is a division of Debswana and is situated in Palapye, approximately 175km south of Francistown. Morupule Colliery supplies coal to the Morupule Power Station, located adjacent to the mine.

The mining equipment used to date has been conventional cutters and loaders with shuttle cars for batch haulage. After 12-15 years of mining coal in this manner, Morupule Colliery has decided to modernise their mining operation.

Joy South Africa will supply one 12HM31B continuous miner with a JNA II control system offering the full surface communication package.

The batch haulage equipment is comprised of three 10SC22 "D" 20-tonne shuttle cars.

This suite of equipment will mine coal from a 9 metre high seam by first mining the upper 4.5 metres and then mining the remaining lower 4.5 metres on the retreat.

The change to continuous mining methods is in response to the planned expansion of the Morupule Power Station. The power station will be consuming 1.2 million tonnes of coal by 2007.

This market is supplemented by a demand of approximately 800,000 tonnes of coal by the local potash and brick-making industry and the local hospitals.

To supply this quantity of coal, Morupule Colliery is anticipating having to operate a total of three continuous miner sections.

Joy South Africa will deliver the equipment to Morupule Colliery in January 2004. The training of Morupule Colliery’s artisans and operators will take place in South Africa at Joy’s Wadeville operation as well as the Joy Colliery Training Centre in Witbank.