Aviva Corporation Limited disclosed that it has an initial resource of 1.287 billion tonnes of coal at the Mmamantswe coal project in Botswana more than double the target it proposed seeking when granted the prospecting licence back in April last year.

Mr Lindsay Reed CEO of Aviva said that the initial resource estimate highlighted the potential of the project, where Aviva has been investigating the merit of a 1,500MW power station. He said the resource estimate affirms Mmamantswe as a low strip ratio open pit thermal coal deposit, with the potential to supply the 6 million tonnes per annum needed to support the 1,500MW power project.

Aviva confirmed that the coal quality was in line with expectations, and test work confirms that around half the ash is removed at high relative densities of 1.8 to 1.9. The firm also advised that coal quality test work confirms earlier expectations that the coal would be amenable to beneficiation at a relatively high cut point.

Aviva said that "The resource estimate is based on a 32 hole 3500 meter drill program. Of these holes 23 intersected coal and have been utilized in the resource volume calculation."

Aviva advised that a new drilling program to upgrade the deposit to reserve was currently being planned to commence in late March. It said that the drill program would increase the density of coal quality information across the deposit, enable coal preparation test work and design to be completed and provide a composite sample of a representative washed product for combustion test work to enable boiler design.