Coal news and updates

Sibanthracite’s Kiyzassky open pit mine in Kemerovo, Russia, passes 55 Mt coal milestone

An event was recently held to celebrate the extraction of 55 Mt coal was held at Sibanthracite Group’s Kiyzassky open-pit mine in the Kemerovo region, where the best employees were also awarded with letters of thanks for their diligent work. The feat was achieved just eight years after the mine began operations. The company significantly increased its coal mining output in 2021 and also plans to ramp up coal production during 2022.

To make this possible, Sibanthracite has acquired a fleet of high-capacity equipment as part of a plan to boost production at the mine. Two EKG-20K IZ-KARTEX excavators with 20 m3 buckets and two EKG-12K units with 12 m3 buckets have already been deployed at the enterprise, while excavators with smaller bucket capacities are gradually being decommissioned. In 2022, IZ-KARTEX  electric excavators with bucket capacities of 20 and 22 m3 will be bought for Kiyzassky. Some 30 dump trucks with capacities from 220 t (BELAZ 75307) to 240 t (BELAZ 75318) are also to be purchased. Sibanthracite’s contractors will buy about 40 more dump trucks with capacities from 90 to 220 t specifically to meet the needs of the operation. The mine also has a Liebherr service centre to look after a growing fleet of Liebherr hydraulic excavators and dozers.

Kiyzassky also maintains an extensive environmental program. The company uses dump trucks fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and has installed modern waste treatment plants. Moreover, the local coal loading railway station is being modernised – protective screens and new dust suppression systems have already been installed there, and these will be added to in the next year. In 2021, the company planted more than one million trees in the Kuzbass region, and this will continue in 2022. Kiyzassky is also open to interaction with nearby residents. The management regularly organises visits to production facilities, where the local population can monitor blasting operations, etc.

Electrification of the Kiyzassky mine will continue in 2022. The construction of the Kiyzasskaya substation and a high-voltage line will make it possible to put six electric excavators into operation. The use of heavy-duty vehicles will significantly reduce the impact on the environment.

According to Ruslan Minibaev, General Director of the Sibanthracite Myski management company, which manages Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine, the company is not going to stop there, and new records are waiting to be broken going forward: “The fact that 55 Mt of coal have been mined in such a short period time proves that Kiyzassky mine’s team is moving in the right direction. I would like to thank the people who launched the company, breathed life into it, and set such a high bar. We look up to them and try not to lag behind.”

Kiyzassky open-pit mine has not only achieved a high production rate, but also supports the population of the Myskovsky Urban District. The company has signed an agreement with the district’s administration on prolonging their social partnership for three more years. The company has financed the overhaul of the Olymp sports complex, purchased modern computers for area schools, organised Black Sea vacations for children, held grant competitions, and provided various forms of assistance to the Shors, an indigenous people in Kuzbass. From 2018 to 2020, Kiyzassky allocated 634 million rubles to carrying out social projects in Myski and Kemerovo Region. It is also is the only coal mining enterprise that provides the city’s residents with high-quality ‘social’ coal at below-market prices. The mine also ships coal to people in vulnerable categories of the local population free of charge.