Kreka Coal Mine

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Kreka Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Tuzla, Tuzla Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Kreka Coal Mine	Tuzla, Tuzla Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina	44.52, 18.606111 (approximate)

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

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	1958	–

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
–	1.3	2024	Underground & Surface	–	–	60.0*	2194

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
456.0	2008	744.0	Kreka	Lignite	Thermal	Tuzla 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 Kreka 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	2.21	2.02	1.94	1.59	1.29*	1.2*	–

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

Kreka coal mine (also known as Mramor) is a SURFACE and UNDERGROUND coal mine in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The mine has 3 sections - Mramor is an underground mine section, Šikulje and Dubrave are surface exploitation mines. Kreka operates three mine sections - Mramor is an underground mine, Šikulje and Dubrave are surface exploitation mines.

The joint capacity of the mine sections was reported at 2.3 million tonnes per annum (2017-2018).

Coal from the mine is used to supply Tuzla Thermal Power Plant.

In 2014 the mine suffered great damage: complete sinking of the surface crater of Šikulje, sinking of the mining site and activation of landslides in Dubrave, sinking of the old craters of the former surface mine Lukavačka Rijeka that are located above Mramor. In Mramor as well - sinking and devastation of railway track facilities. It is understood that production declined following the accident.

In May 2021 it was reported that the company is in a difficult financial position facing production declines due to the lack of investments. Mine workers have organized a strike. Later in August 2021, it was reported that due to adverse results in 1H 2021 and the mine's halt in production, 111 workers were dismissed from the company. The strikes continued into 2022.

A source from October 2023 reported on the meeting among the company, the Federal Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry Elektroprivreda BiH. The new management appointed at the company found the situation catastrophic, especially regarding the production quantities of coal for the needs of Elektroprivreda BiH. The restructuring of the mine will continue with the aim of  increasing productivity of each worker, targeting monthly production of 120 thousand tonnes per month, up from 101 thousand tonnes in September 2023.

Restructuring and Potential Closure

As of 2021, the parent company Elektroprivreda was undertaking restructuring and recapitalization of its seven coal mines over 2021-2023. The company also 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 anticipated 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.

However in the first 11 months of 2024, the production result was 176,000 tons higher than in the same period in 2023. It was expected that by the end of the year, production will be 200,000 tons higher than in the previous year (i.e. at about 1.3 million tonnes)

In late 2024, Elektroprivreda made statements about the need to increase coal production at its mines, stating 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.

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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.