Bolshevik Coal Mine
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Bolshevik Coal Mine (шахта Большевик) is an operating coal mine in Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Russia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Bolshevik Coal Mine | Novokuznetsk, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Russia | 53.910728, 87.328541 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | – | 2005[1] | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[2] | 0.5[3] | 2023[3] | Underground | Longwall[4] | – | 448* | 640[5] |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | Mezhdurechensk | Bituminous[6] | Met[1] | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Shakhta Bolshevik JSC [100.0%][7] | Novaya Gornaya Management Company LLC | Russia |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 1.23[8] | 1.62[8] | 1.44[9] | 0.53[10] | 0.62[11] | 0.55[11] | 0.53[3] | – | – |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Bolshevik coal mine (шахта Большевик) is an underground mine in the Kemerovo Oblast, Russia.The coal mine is owned and operated by Skakhta Bolshevik JSC, which was previously owned by Sibuglemet.[12] The majority shareholder of Sibuglement was the State Development Corporation VEB.[13] In 2022 following the sanctions against many Russian companies, a new company Novaya Gornaya Management Company LLC was formed to replace Sibuglement Holding LLC as the manager of the coal assets.[13] Later in March 2022, VEB ceased to be the the 71% majority shareholder of the Novaya Gornaya Management Company LLC following the management buy-out of the company. Now 4 private individuals each hold 17.6%.[14]
Evraz was planning to acquire the assets of Sibuglemet in 2020, but this deal fell through.[15] Evraz also used to manage Sibuglemet assets from 2015[15], the management services agreement was terminated in November 2020.[16][17]
It appears that the the mine's production has been in decline. In 2016 its production was 1.6 million tonnes[18] while in 2020-2022 it was 0.5-0.6 million tonnes.[19][20] However a news report (Youtube video) from December 2022 referred to the mine's plan to produce 1 million tonnes in 2023, thanks to investments in the new equipment and the planned launch of the new longwall. The mine was referred to as having complex geological conditions.[21] A new longwall was launched in June 2023.[22] However actual production in 2023 was only 0.5 Mt.[6]
A media source from April 2021 stated that the mine will stop producing in 2025.[23] However, as of February 2026, multiple media reports indicated that the mine continued operating throughout 2025 and into 2026, suggesting that the previously reported closure had not occurred.
Safety Inspections and Temporary Suspensions
In 2025, the Bolshevik coal mine was listed among the most hazardous underground coal mines in Russia based on a 2024 assessment of mining risks, which evaluated factors such as mining depth, methane content of coal seams, and the technical condition of equipment. The mine was included in a group of enterprises identified by industry experts and the Russian Ministry of Energy as having elevated occupational and industrial safety risks.[24]
In June 2025, Russia’s Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Supervision (Rostechnadzor) ordered a 30-day suspension of coal extraction in longwall No. 29-61 at the Bolshevik coal mine. The decision followed the identification of multiple industrial safety violations, including the absence of explosion protection in mine workings, operation of conveyor equipment in violation of safety requirements, lack of unobstructed passageways, and non-compliance with approved documentation for mine development and ground support.[25]
In July 2025, the Siberian Directorate of Rostechnadzor included the Bolshevik mine among ten coal mines in Kuzbass subject to temporary bans on operations during the period from 10 to 16 July. According to the regulator, the suspensions were imposed due to violations such as methane concentration exceedances, dust explosion hazards, and other breaches of industrial safety requirements.[26]
In parallel with regulatory scrutiny, the mine operator reported the implementation of modernization and digitalization measures. In 2024, Novaya Gornaya Managing Company announced the ongoing deployment of digital production management systems at its coal assets, including automated downtime accounting and digital tools aimed at improving operational control and workplace safety at underground mines, including the Bolshevik mine.[27]
Land Use and Environmental Permitting
In September 2024, the government of Kemerovo Oblast approved the transfer of 18 hectares of agricultural land to industrial use for the needs of the Bolshevik coal mine. According to the decree, two land plots with a combined area of 15.28 hectares and 2.4 hectares were reclassified from agricultural land to land designated for industry, energy, transport, and communications. The land transfer was requested by JSC Bolshevik Mine for the construction of an open materials storage facility at the Esaulsky 3–4 industrial site, located northwest of the village of Esaulka near the Esaulsky 3–4 mining area.[28]
In addition to land reclassification for industrial use, the mine operator reported environmental and water management measures at its coal assets. In 2024, Novaya Gornaya Managing Company stated that wastewater treatment facilities were commissioned at its operations, and that reclaimed and treated water was reused for industrial purposes, while additional environmental initiatives included biological restoration activities and urban landscaping projects in regions of operation.[29]
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://miningwiki.ru/wiki/%D0%A8%D0%B0%D1%85%D1%82%D0%B0_%C2%AB%D0%91%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BA%C2%BB_(%D0%9D%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%86%D0%BA).
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6933950.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 (PDF) http://www.eruda.ru/files/itogi_raboty_ugolnoy_promyshlennosti_2023_top_predpriyatiy_itogi-raboty-ugolnoy-promyshlennosti-rossii-za-2023-god.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20260520162853/https://mining-media.ru/ru/news/18335-ao-shakhta-bolshevik-novoj-gornoj-upravlyayushchej-kompanii-zapustila-v-rabotu-novuyu-lavu. Archived from the original on 20 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20260527020714/https://www.new-mmc.com/kompaniya/nashi-predpriyatiya/. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20260630070517/https://burondt.ru/NDT/NDTDocsDetail.php?UrlId=2097&etkstructure_id=1872. Archived from the original on 30 June 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240125065824/http://www.new-mmc.com/kompaniya/nashi-predpriyatiya/. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/itogi-raboty-ugolnoy-promyshlennosti-rossii-za-yanvar-dekabr-2018-goda/viewer.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/itogi-raboty-ugolnoy-promyshlennosti-rossii-za-yanvar-dekabr-2019-goda/viewer.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/itogi-raboty-ugolnoy-promyshlennosti-rossii-za-yanvar-dekabr-2020-goda/viewer.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/itogi-raboty-ugolnoy-promyshlennosti-rossii-za-yanvar-dekabr-2022-goda/viewer.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Sibuglemet website. "Our Companies". Retrieved October 2022 through the Wayback Machine.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Подпавший под санкции Сибуглемет переименован в "Новую горную управляющую компанию"". Xco.news. March 9, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "ВЭБ вышел из компании, управляющей предприятиями бывшего холдинга "Сибуглемет"". Interfax.ru. March 14, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Evraz отказался покупать угольный актив ВЭБ.РФ в Кузбассе". rbc.ru. August 6, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Evraz unaudited results 1H 2022" (PDF). evraz.com. Section 12 (Issued guarantees), 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "ВЭБ.РФ осветил темный уголь". kommersant.ru. March 29, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Шахта «Большевик» (Новокузнецк), MiningWiki.ru, accessed Mar. 2021.
- ↑ "Итоги работы угольной промышленности России за январь-декабрь 2020 года" (PDF). eruda.ru. March 2021.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 13 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Итоги работы угольной промышленности России за 2022". cyberleninka.ru. 2023.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 13 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "На шахте "Большевик" подвели итоги работы за 2022 год". www.youtube.com. December 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Шахта «Большевик» Новой Горной Управляющей Компании запустила новую лаву". www.metalinfo.ru/. June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "«Сибуглемет» обрублил долги". kommersant.ru. April 14, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Four most dangerous coal mines in Russia". promrazvedka.ru. June 9, 2025. Retrieved Jan 22, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Rostechnadzor suspended coal extraction at two mines in Kuzbass". baikal24.ru. June 5, 2025. Retrieved Jan 22, 2026.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 14 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Operations suspended at ten mines in Kuzbass". ksonline.ru. July 17, 2025. Retrieved Jan 22, 2026.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 11 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Novaya Gornaya Managing Company summarized 2024 results". vashgorod.ru. December 19, 2024. Retrieved Feb 11, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "18 hectares of agricultural land transferred for warehouse construction at the Bolshevik mine". Kommersant. September 4, 2024. Retrieved Jan 22, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Novaya Gornaya Managing Company summarized 2024 results". vashgorod.ru. December 19, 2024. Retrieved Feb 11, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
