EXXARO Resources has started work on one of the last substantial coal deposits remaining in the 100-year-old Mpumalanga coalfields. The R3.3bn Belfast mine will be able to produce 2.7 million tonnes (Mt) of good-quality thermal coal a year for at least the next 17 years, starting in 2020, in the first phase of development. There is also potential for a second phase, depending on market conditions, which could take the life of the mine to 30 years.