Gračanica Coal Mine

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Gračanica Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Bugojno, Central Bosnia Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Gračanica Coal Mine	Bugojno, Central Bosnia Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina	43.99327693, 17.51393576 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	1977	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
0.6	0.25	2022	Surface	Open Pit	1.6	50.0*	210

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
2.0	2022	–	Bugojno	Lignite	Thermal	Kakanj Thermal Power Plant

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Note: To access more comprehensive data on energy ownership, please visit the Global Energy Ownership Tracker.

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
RMU Gračanica doo [100%]	Elektroprivreda BiH dd [90.4%]; others [9.6%]	Bosnia and Herzegovina

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

Note: The asterisk (*) indicates that the value is an estimated figure based on various factors, including the company's forecasted or reported monthly or quarterly production data, etc.

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Saleable	0.33	0.29	0.26	0.28	0.26*	0.25	–

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2025 release.

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Background

Gracanica coal mine is a SURFACE mine in Bugojno, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The mine is working the Dimnjače deposit. The mine is owned and operated by RMU Gračanica doo, which is 100% owned by Elektroprivreda BiH.

Coal mining began in 1938 with the underground mining method, which lasted until 1977, when it was switched to surface mining, which is still present today. Location of plant and equipment of the mine is located in the south-eastern part of the Bugojna Neogene coal basin, on the right bank of the Vrbas River, between Gornji Vakuf - Uskoplje and Bugojno, on the slopes of Radovan Mountain, in the area of ​​the village of Rosulje.

The mine's capacity is about 0.75 million tonnes per year according to the company's website, although another source stated lower capacity of 0.35 million tonnes.

Coal is delivered to Kakanj Thermal Power Plant and Natron Hayat Maglaj pulp and paper factory.

Local residents complain that the mine is moving closer to their homes, with the risk of landslides.

Restructuring and Potential Closure

In 2021, the parent company Elektroprivreda was undertaking restructuring and recapitalization of its seven coal mines over 2021-2023. The company planned to adjust its coal mines with the national plan to reduce emissions, which will affect the drop in overall production (5 million tons of coal in 2021 is expected to drop to 4.6 by 2022 and 4.3 in 2023).

Experts expected in 2021 that none of Bosnia’s remaining 11 coal mines will remain operational in the coming decades as eco pressures grow and the country seeks to clean up as it courts EU membership.

As of 2024, Elektroprivreda BiH was starting to build a 45MW Gračanica solar farm on the on the re-cultivated landfill of the coal mine. A loan was provided for this project by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

In late 2024, Elektroprivreda made statements about the need to increase coal production at its mines, saying that the energy system of the Federation of BiH is in trouble and can be stabilized only by increased coal production. However, this contradicts the declarations signed by Bosnia and Herzegovina to reduce coal consumption. According to Elektroprivreda BiH, coal deliveries from existing mines are not sufficient and they had to import 400,000 tons of coal during the year. In 9 months of 2024, the seven coal mines of Elektroprivreda mined a total of 3.87 million tonnes, a decrease from 4.16 million tonnes in the same period in 2023. Some mines will close in the coming period and it is necessary to increase coal production from the Kreka, Kakanj and Đurđevik mines.

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.