Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works : MMK’S Chertinskaya-Koksovaya coal mine to use unmanned-extraction technology

MMK-COAL (part of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works) is completing site preparations for the development of seam No. 6 in the Chertinsky Gluboky tenement at the Chertinskaya-Koksovaya mine. The mine, located in the Kemerovo region, has 14.7 million tonnes of recoverable reserves of valuable Zh-grade coal. Mining will be carried out using unmanned-excavation technology, which will completely eliminate risks for workers on the face.

Mining of the new seam is scheduled to begin in late 2025; the coal extracted will make up for the diminishing volumes being mined at seam No. 5. The annual production volume for the mine as a whole will increase from 1.8 million to 2.2 million tonnes. For comparison, production in 2022 amounted to 1.7 million tonnes.

Russia's Main State Expert Review Board has already issued a positive opinion on the project. The project includes the following:

- construction of a mechanised coal face system using unmanned-excavation technology: an operator in an adjacent coal heading will control the coal face equipment with the aid of video cameras and numerous sensors installed on the apparatus;

- reactivation of an existing slope as well as construction of a new mine site and expansion of the existing mine site in the Belovsky municipal district over a period of a year and a half;

- installation of the main ventilation fan and a state-of-the-art modular boiler at the mine site;

- construction of a monorail to transport people, materials and cargo to the mine;

- deployment at the mine site of a firefighting pump house, power supply facilities, a settling basin for rainwater and mine water, and other auxiliary facilities.

The use of unmanned-excavation technology for coal extraction will make the mining process smooth and productive, reduce the presence of people on the face by automating all processes, drastically decrease injuries and improve industrial safety.