Copperton was a
mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry.
Historical mining communities Australia
* Ballarat, Victoria
* Bendig ...
in the central
Karoo
The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe Khoemana (also known as !Orakobab or Korana) word is a semidesert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is ...
region of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. As a
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
and
zinc-mining area, Copperton saw its heyday between 1970 and the end of the 20th century, when it housed about 3,000 workers and their families; amenities included a school and recreation facilities, including a golf course.
History
The copper-zinc mine at Copperton, which had been opened in 1972, was shut down in 1991 by the
Anglovaal Mining Group.
The 2011 census found 57 inhabitants.
Today, most of the buildings have been demolished and only a few houses are used by
Armscor, who operate a weapons testing center, Alkantpan Test Range, in the area.
Renewable Power
Several new
renewable energy
Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...
projects (solar and wind) have been allocated through the
REIPPPP and these projects will be constructed in the vicinity of this town.
See also
*
List of power stations in South Africa
South Africa produced around 245,000 GWh of electricity in 2021. Most of this electricity is produced using coal and is consumed domestically. In 2022, 12,300 GWh were exported to Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbab ...
*
Siyathemba Local Municipality
Siyathemba Municipality () is a local municipality within the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.
Main places
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:
Politic ...
References
Populated places disestablished in 1991
Former populated places in South Africa
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