Velenje Coal Mine
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Velenje Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Styria, Slovenia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Velenje Coal Mine | Styria, Slovenia | 46.368919, 15.077637 (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[1] | – | 1875[1] | 2033 (planned)[2][3] |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 2.17[4] | 2024[4] | Underground[5] | Longwall[5] | 21[6][7] | 500[6] | 1600[8] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100[9] | 2022[9] | 346[9] | Velenje | Lignite | Thermal | Coal Plant |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Premogovnik Velenje [100.0%] | Holding Slovenske elektrarne doo | Slovenia |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saleable | 3.5*[10][11] | 3.21*[10][12] | 3.18*[13][11] | 3.1*[14][11] | 2.59*[11][15] | 2.36[16] | 2.5[17][18] | 2.17[4] | – |
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
Velenje mine is a lignite mine which is owned and operated by government-owned Premogovnik Velenje, near Velenje in Slovenia.[19] The Velenje coal mine belongs to the state-owned HOLDING SLOVENSKE ELEKTRARNE (HSE) that also owns the Sostanj power station as well as hydro power plants.[20]
The mine is the only operating mine in Slovenia, supplying coal to the Sostanj Power Station.[21] [22]
As of 2012, Euracoal, a European coal industry lobby group, stated that the mine boasts "one of the thickest known coal layers in the world (up to 165 meters). The company’s long-term strategy was to operate the mine until 2054, as it is likely to remain Slovenia’s only exploitable energy resource for the next 50 years."[22]
The mine employs a unique mining method, it is one of the largest and most modern underground mines in Europe. [23]
As of 2023, the company’s long-term strategy was to operate the mine until 2033, according to Euracoal.[20] The “Velenje mining method” is performed by top caving hanging seams. The basic approach is to extend the lignite extraction area above the protected area at the face. The “Velenje mining method” has been proven to be the most effective method for extracting thick coal seams.[20]
In May 2024, Slovenian Prime Minister acknowledged that the country’s only coal plant and its accompanying mine may end operations before the expected closure in 2033. It would happen “not because of politics, not because of the climate, but because of economics".[24] An analysis was underway that includes scenarios for closure or sharp production cuts within the next three years.[24]
As of September 2024, Sostanj power plant's operations were projected to face bankruptcy in January 2025. The coal-fired power station and Velenje coal mine would reportedly generate 150 to 200 million euros of losses in 2025.[25] According to reporting from December 2024, the Slovenian government had agreed to pay €403 million (US$424 million) to take over the Sostanj power station and the Velenje coal mine from HSE. The coal plant was primarily slated to provide district heating for the Salek Valley until April 2027 at a cost of €327 million (US$344 million).[26] The country aims to complete it by 2033, but it may end much sooner (i.e. by 2027).[26][27]
Production
The Velenje coal mine generated 2.44 million tonnes in coal in 2023. Four coal faces were in operation, while in 2022, only three had been in operation.[28] Coal production at in 2024 amounted to approximately 2.17 million tonnes in 2024.[29]
Accidents
An accident at the mine in January 2025 killed 3 people. Water and mud entered one of the tunnels. This is not the first time an accident at Velenje turned deadly. In 2003, two miners were killed in a pillar collapse.[30][31] About a week after the accident, the remaining two excavations in the Pesje section and the preparatory work sites began operating at the Velenje Coal Mine, while the excavation in the Preloge section will not operate until further notice.[32]
Coal Phase-out
In October 2025, the Slovenian government began deliberations on a draft law for the gradual closure of the mine and the liquidation of Premogovnik Velenje, with coal extraction planned to continue until 2033 and remediation and monitoring activities to proceed until 2045.[33] The government earmarked more than €1.13 billion from the state budget for the period 2026–2045, averaging approximately €50 million annually, to cover closure works, environmental rehabilitation, and social measures for workers including early retirement and severance payments.[34] The Slovenian National Assembly passed the bill on 3 February 2026; as a state aid scheme, it required approval from the European Commission before entering into force, expected after 1 July 2026.[35]
Premogovnik Velenje joined nine research and innovation projects co-funded by the European Union's Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) to explore post-closure uses for the mine's underground infrastructure. One project, Gravpower 2.0, examined the possibility of a gravitational energy storage power plant utilising the mine's depth of up to 500 metres. Another project, Mine4Food, investigated the use of abandoned underground galleries for smart farming. The company also announced plans to analyse the feasibility of methane extraction from the mine after closure.[36]
The law foresees no major layoffs, with the workforce expected to shrink mainly through natural attrition; instead of cutting 700–900 jobs at once, redundancies are to be limited to around 250 workers in 2034. Closure works include rehabilitating over 50 kilometres of mine routes and recultivating more than 1,100 hectares of land. Final liquidation of the mine's operator, Premogovnik Velenje d.o.o., is planned for 2045.[37]
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://www.rlv.si/o-nas/proizvodnja/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.rlv.si/2022/01/13/vlada-rs-na-danasnji-seji-potrdila-letnico-2033-za-izhod-iz-premoga/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://balkangreenenergynews.com/slovenias-coal-phaseout-coal-assets-to-be-separated-from-electricity-utility-hse/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 (PDF) https://www.hse.si/app/uploads/2025/08/Letno-porocilo-sHSE-2024_ANG.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.rlv.si/en/about-us/velenje-mining-method/#:~:text=A%20distinctive%20feature%20of%20the;of%20safety%20and%20economic%20return.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20260521182608/https://www.rlv.si/en/about-us/technical-area/hydrogeology/geology/. Archived from the original on 21 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.eib.org/attachments/pipeline/20060319_eis_en.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.powerengineeringint.com/energy-storage/slovenian-coal-mine-looks-to-gravity-energy-storage-for-greener-future/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 https://euracoal.eu/info/country-profiles/slovenia-8/#:~:text=Resources%20of%20lignite%20and%20brown;tonnes%20of%20the%20total%20resources.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 (PDF) https://energy.ec.europa.eu/document/download/9e1f9977-cea1-4154-94bc-5c6fd56f921f_en?filename=1.5_vrankar_plenary.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Slovenia/coal_production/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.hse.si/app/uploads/2020/06/HSE-Annual-Report-2019.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.hse.si/app/uploads/2021/06/HSE_LP_2020_EN_2021.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.hse.si/app/uploads/2022/08/HSE_LP2021_ENG_HR.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.hse.si/app/uploads/2023/06/HSE_LP2022_EN-hr-povezave.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.rlv.si/2023/01/18/premogovnik-velenje-z-uvozenim-premogom-zagotavlja-vecjo-obratovalno-zanesljivost-in-stabilnost-proizvodnje-v-tes/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://pxweb.stat.si/SiStatData/pxweb/en/Data/Data/1818002S.px/table/tableViewLayout2/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://public.euracoal.eu/download/Public-Archive/Library/Annual-Reports/EURACOAL-Annual-Report-2023-rev04-WEB.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Slovenia Energy Directorate, SLOVENIA AND ITS COAL REGIONS, April 8th 2019.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Slovenia - 2022". /euracoal.eu. 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ DeCarb Interreg Europe, Coal mining industry in Slovenia, Industry Website, accessed November 4, 2020.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Slovenia", Eurocoal website, accessed October 2012.
- ↑ "Premogovnik Velenje (Velenje Coal Mine)". www.emeoutlookmag.com. 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Slovenia's coal plant TEŠ could close already within three years". /balkangreenenergynews.com. May 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Tešu z januarjem 2025 grozi stečaj. Država naj bi ga finančno reševala z interventno zakonodajo.," MMC RTV Slovenija, September 23, 2024
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 “Slovenia’s coal phaseout: Coal assets to be separated from electricity utility HSE,” Balkan Green Energy News, December 6, 2024
- ↑ "2023 Updated national energy and climate plan (NECP) - coal phase-out". www.iea.org/. September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ "Slovenia plans to close Velenje coal mine". https://seenews.com/. October 7, 2025. Retrieved March
19, 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help); External link in|website=|access-date=at position 6 (help); line feed character in|title=at position 9 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Accident at Slovenian state-owned coal mine kills at least one person, two remain missing". www.euronews.com/. January 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Premogovnik Velenje: Pogrešajo še dva rudarja, bojijo se najhujšega". www.dnevnik.si. January 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Premogovnik Velenje: Zagotavljanje varnosti je temelj njihovega delovanja in njihov ključni strateški cilj". www.koroskenovice.si. January 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Slovenia begins preparations for closure of Velenje coal mine". balkangreenenergynews.com. October 9, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Slovenia earmarks EUR 1.13 billion for gradual closure of Velenje coal mine". balkangreenenergynews.com. February 5, 2026. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Parliament confirms bill on Velenje mine closure". english.sta.si. February 3, 2026. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Slovenia's last coal mine turning to green energy, underground farming". balkangreenenergynews.com. November 10, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Slovenia earmarks EUR 1.13 billion for gradual closure of Velenje coal mine, Balkan Green Energy News, February 5, 2026
