Sibirginsky Surface Coal Mine

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Sibirginsky Surface Coal Mine (Сибиргинский разрез) is an operating coal mine in Chuvashka, Myski Urban/Novokuznetsky, Kemerovo, Russia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Sibirginsky Surface Coal Mine Chuvashka, Myski Urban/Novokuznetsky, Kemerovo, Russia 53.621227, 87.799988 (exact)

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

Loading map...

Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status Status Detail Opening Year Closing Year
Operating 1970

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
0.9[1] 2021[1] Surface Open Pit 16.4 60* 670[2]

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
111 Bituminous Thermal & Met[3]

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner Parent Company Headquarters
Southern Kuzbass Coal Company PJSC [2] Mechel JSC Russia

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the GEM April 2024 Global Coal Mine Tracker dataset.

Background

The Sibirginsky coal mine (разрез Сибиргинский) is a surface mine located near the village of Chuvashka, in the Kuzbass coalfield, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia.

The surface mine is not be confused with Sibirginsky underground coal mine in the same complex.

Sibirginsky coal mine (2017). Courtesy of Coal Action Network (UK)

The Sibirginsky coal mine is operated by Southern Kuzbass Coal Company PJSC, which was formed in 1993 when several mining and processing enterprises joined forces.[4] Southern Kuzbass Coal Company joined Mechel Group in 2003.[5]

The mine's capacity is 2.5 million tonnes per annum.[6]

In 2011 the company obtained a license to develop 'Uregolsky-Novy' section of the mine, adding 2.4km2 of area to the existing 16.4km2.[6][7] The section has been operational according to 2018-2020 Mechel's reports, but was reported to be in 'development' at the end of 2021[8][7], referring to "project documentation being updated due to non-compliance with production obligations in the license".[7]

In 2021 the coal mine produced 0.9 million tonnes, down from 2.3 million tonnes in 2020 and 2.2 million tonnes in 2019.[7] In the first half of 2022, the mine produced only 0.27 million tonnes, which was 49% loewr than in 2021.

Southern Kuzbass Coal Mines

The Southern Kuzbass mines include four surface mines and three underground mines. All mines are located in southeast Kuzbass around the town of Mezhdurechensk. The Southern Kuzbass mines and the related washing plants produce semi-soft and semi-hard coking coal, anthracite, PCI and steam coal. The Kuzbass operations are connected by rail to the Trans-Siberian Mainline and substantially all products are shipped by rail. Products are generally shipped by rail to Russian customers, to northwestern Russian ports for European customers, to Port Posiet and Port Vanino for export to Asia and to Port Temryuk for customers in the Black Sea and Mediterranean basins.[7]

As of January 1, 2021, in-situ reserves at Southern Kuzbass's seven coal mines are estimated at about 1.8 billion tonnes. The project capacity of the company’s mines totals 15 million tonnes annually, while washing capacity totals 17 million tonnes.[9]

  • Owner: Southern Kuzbass Coal Company[4]
  • Parent: Mechel[4]
  • Location: near Chuvashka, in Myski Urban/Novokuznetsky Districts, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia
  • GPS Coordinates: 53.621227, 87.799988 (exact)
  • Status: Operating[4]
  • Production: 2.4 million tonnes (2011)[5], 2.3 million tonnes (2020), 0.9 million tonnes (2021)[7], 0.272 million tonnes (6m 2022)[10]
  • Total Resource:
  • Mineable Reserves: 111 million tonnes (Proven and Probable, 2021)[7]
  • Coal type: Bituminous
  • Mine Type: Surface
  • Start Year: 1970[8]
  • Source of Financing:

Opposition

The predominantly indigenous Shor village of Chuvashka lies 2km south of the Sibirginsky mine. The Shors are shamanist and animist, believing that mountains, streams, forests and soil have souls. While their beliefs have evolved over time, their deep connection to nature remains.[11] According to Russia’s 2010 census, there were 12,888 Shors in the entire country, with 10,672 living in the Kemerovo Oblast. In 2014, it has been estimated that the number of Shors living in the region has fallen to between 4,500 and 5,000.[12]

Local people say that the coal mines which surround their village pollute the water, making it undrinkable. The mines produce dust which blows off the waste tips and into the rivers. The animals have fled the area, leaving the Shor people heavily reliant on bought goods, rather than foraging and hunting their own food and medicines, as they have done in living memory. The extension of the Sibirginsky coal mine meant that the Shor village of Kazas was cleared of residents in 2012. The former residents are angry that they cannot freely access the graves of their ancestors and that armed security guards control the access to the former village.[13]

Prior to the destruction of the village, living conditions in Kazas became unbearable. Sicknesses increased. The fresh streams where people retrieved water and caught fish had become undrinkable. Coal dust coated their garden vegetables. Explosions became the soundtrack to their lives. The mining company even set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the village.[14]

There were five houses in Kazas destroyed by fire in 2013. Local people suspect the coal company, but the arsons have not been investigated. The local people say that this was a direct consequence of the residents refusing to sell their homes to the coal company.[15]

150 households in the village of Kurya were displaced, many of them moving to Chuvashka, because of the expansion of the Sibirginsky coal mine.[16]

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. 1.0 1.1 https://www.mechel.com/shareholders/report/form-20-f/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240125065630/https://mechel.ru/upload/iblock/13c/lh3tzb0i2p02bru512o9zawwxwfa4si3.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1302362/000119312522126835/d237462d20f.htm. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Mechel, "Southern Kuzbass," Mechel website accessed 4 February 2020.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Mechel, "History," Mechel website, accessed 4 February 2020.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Разрез «Сибиргинский» за 45 лет добыл 150 миллионов тонн угля". mechel.ru. 24 December 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Mechel website. "Form 20-F 2021 report". mechel.com. Retrieved September 2022. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Mechel, "Form 20-F report, 2018," page 73, Mechel website, 2019.
  9. "Mechel Mining". Retrieved September 2022. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "СУЭК удерживает добычу за счет бурого угля". www.argusmedia.com. July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. Daria Andreeva and Anne Harris, "Slow Death in Siberia," page 14-15, Fern and Coal Action Network, May 2018.
  12. Daria Andreeva and Anne Harris, "Slow Death in Siberia," page 15, Fern and Coal Action Network, May 2018.
  13. Anne Harris, "Slow Death in Siberia," Red Pepper, 17 May 2018.
  14. Daria Andreeva and Anne Harris, "Slow Death in Siberia," page 11, Fern and Coal Action Network, May 2018.
  15. Anti-discrimination centre, "Kuznetsk Basin: Indigenous Peoples Threatened with Extinction," Anti-discrimination website, 9 august 2019.
  16. Daria Andreeva and Anne Harris, "Slow Death in Siberia," page 10, Fern and Coal Action Network, May 2018.