PENTALIN GROUP
AT THE COALFACE
In the fraught context of South African coal mining, Pentalin Group is a leading solutions provider to the industry. We discuss its commitment to operational excellence and the industry’s need for change with CEO, Jaco Scholtz Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Joshua Mann
The world needs metals and energy to prosper.” In the African context, South Africa (SA) stands as a major consumer of coal. The resource accounts for 80 percent of the national energy mix and the country remains hesitant to phase out this vital fuel in the face of the climate crisis. Despite the negative perception surrounding fossil fuels, it is irrefutable that coal is a crucial energy source, particularly in developing countries. The global average statistic for energy production resulting from coal is 34 percent – in SA, this figure is a staggering 86 percent, and for electricity that derives from coal. “It is a product that has powered SA and the world for generations. It lights our streets, it lights our homes, it cools our homes in the summer and warms them in the winter. But more importantly, it drives our economy, it drives the future of our country,” 118 | Africa Outlook issue 94
states Jaco Scholtz, CEO at SA’s leading processing solutions provider for the coal mining industry, Pentalin Group (Pentalin). “Currently, coal is the only source that can provide affordable and sustainable energy, and I believe it will remain the primary source for power generation in Southern Africa for years to come,” he continues.
PENTALIN AT THE CORE Offering a broad spectrum of mineral and coal processing plant operations and maintenance solutions across SA and Botswana, Pentalin is composed of three subsidiary companies: Pentalin Processing, Johdee Mineral Processing and Pentalin Trading. “We design, build, operate and maintain coal handling and preparation plants for companies that don’t have the necessary internal resources or appetite to do it themselves,” Scholtz tells us.
