The coal scouting  company  around Sese area announced this  week that the resources in the area  are way beyond its expectations and  warned the international markets that  should Botswana government     issue  it with a mining license it is mostly likely to look into the coal export market .
Sese lies 50 kilometers south-east of Francistown and it is prime for an open pit coal mine that bolsters Botswana’s power needs as well as the region. Botswana┬á alone has┬á over 200 billion tones of thermal coal┬á among the most┬á black gold richest countries in the continent.
In an announcement made this week, it said it┬á had discovered a “very large coal deposit” in Botswana┬á valued around┬á 2 billion tonnes that are near surface┬á and prime for open pit mining.
It┬á emphasized that┬á there is a “possibility of┬á a coal wash┬á that┬á will position it┬á for┬á┬á coal export┬á specifically to China, Europe and India”, the latter growing at the fastest pace.
The Australian-listed exploration outfit has long  embarked on an exercise  aimed at positioning  its proposed Sese project  coal  in a bid to take advantage of  regional and global energy  supply bottle-necks within the next few years.
The┬á company has enlisted the services of ┬á Phil ClarkÔÇöa renowned┬á mining expert–┬á┬á┬á to guide it through the delicate process of┬á “evaluating the key technical and┬á commercial┬á issues”.
Clark has worked for the mining giant BHP Biliton Energy coal responsible for projects in Australia, Colombia, South Africa and USA before.
Sese  has  some impressive seams with an average  thickness of  14.8 meters, which is also closer to the  surface.
Its┬á project┬á is situated┬á close to the rail-line that┬álinks the┬á south and northern parts of the┬á country in the eastern corridor ÔÇô that provides access to both┬á South African ports and the proposed Trans Kalahari rail┬á that links Botswana with Namibia ports.
African Energy  further indicated the  closeness of the  project to the rail line is  a huge advantage since  large volumes of coal will need  to be transported by  rail  into the seaborne export market.
The move by African Energy comes at a time when the world is predicted to see an acceleration of coal demand bolstered by the  appetite from China, India and Japan.
This year alone, thermal coal is expected to outpace gas and demand  by as much as 30 percent.
