I don't remember this quote from last year by Chavez.

CARACAS
Petroleumworld. com.ve, 24 10 2008

The state's reserves amount to over 1,000 million tonnes. Estimated for 2013 increased 25% in coal production. A 110 kilometers from Maracaibo, capital of Zulia state, is the largest coal basin in Venezuela: the Guasare.

There, resting for 82% of the national natural resource, among municipalities Mara and Paez, which produces one of the world's most sought coals Carbozulia, a subsidiary of CORPOZULIA, is the company responsible for the administration and management of the basin since 1978 And today, 30 years after its creation, allow the sale of annual 7 million tons and that extract 60% of the profits for social development in the region Zulia.

Ovis Prieto, vice president of Carbozulia, indicated that the proven reserves in the region are located above the 200 million tons.

"Our appeal is for more than 50 years of operation, while the estimated reserves exceed one billion tons, according to recent studies.

The extraction of ore estimated to generate dividends to the state above the $ 60 million for the year end. " Company data show that 52% of the resource is marketed to the United States, another 34% to Europe, and 14% goes to South America.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Basic Industries and Mining of Venezuela (Mibam) to 1,450 million metric tons total proven reserves of coal in the country.

The amount of the resource will supply domestic demand in the nation for the next 150 years.

Emiro Martinez, an expert on mine, confirmed the proven reserves of energy resource and indicated that "some studies indicate that the estimated reserves, plus the non-certified, reach 6,000 million tons throughout the country.

Of all the regions of the country, Zulia is the most important since there are more than 70% of the coal is exploited at the national level. "

The Mibam also said that coal production in Venezuela, in 2006, closed at 6,872,155 tons, while in 2005 the amount produced reached 6,289,690 tons.

The daily operation is located at 20,000 metric tons. Prieto emphasized that, soon, Carbozulia acquire a plant in Argentina at a cost of three million dollars and will arrive in the country by the end of the year.

"It will have capacity to process any drop of water leaving the mines and they can get to the rivers.

This will ensure that the environment was not contaminated and thus help preserve the habitat in areas adjacent to the exploitation of coal, especially the channels of the rivers, "he said.

Prieto, in turn, added that the ore Zulia is "one of the best in the world and is regarded as a premium product."

"The coal is considered Zulia, from an environmental point of view, as an ore of excellent quality because it has 0.5% sulfur, low humidity and high caloric value."

For the next five years, the company estimates a 25% increase to coal exploitation in the region, rising from 7 million tons per year to more than 10 million tons.

Next year Carbozulia estimated start the project of underground mines "that would involve the exploitation of coal beneath the surface and has no open skies, as has been done for several years. The pilot project would start in Casigua The Cube and hope that this will give us good results. "

Similarly, President Hugo Chávez reported last November that the government will invest "1950 million dollars between 2008 and 2013, for the development of the entire mining sector (exploitation of gold, copper, steel, aluminum and coal) of the nation ".

http://www.petroleumworld.com.ve/not...