Kholodna Balka coal mine
Interactive map of Kholodna Balka coal mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Products | Coal |
| Production | 523,000 |
| Opened | 1957 |
The Kholodna Balka coal mine (Ukrainian: Шахта «Холодна балка») is a large coal mine located in the south-east of Ukraine in Donetsk Oblast. Kholodna Balka represents one of the largest coal reserves in Ukraine, having estimated reserves of 51.3 million tonnes.[1] The annual coal production is around 523,000 tonnes. It is administratively under the state enterprise Makiivugol (Макіїввугілля).[2]
The mine extracts thermal coal used in the energy sector, which is then transported to Starobesheve Thermal Power Plant in Novyi Svit.[2]
History
The mine incorporated the former fields of mines No. 3, No. 2, No. 10, and Pivdenna.[2] It was first opened in 1957.[3] Annual coal production reached 529,100 tonnes in 2008 before declining to 430,400 tonnes in 2010, then rising to 638,900 tonnes in 2011.[2] In 2012, the mine exceeded its production plan by 9.9%.[4] Following the outbreak of the War in the Donbas, Makiivka and the mine were taken over by pro-Russian separatists, who annexed it into the pro-Russian, self-declared Donetsk People's Republic. Later that year in September 2014 there was an explosion at the mine which killed three people.[5]
In 2016, there were numerous strikes by the miners at the mine over unpaid wages, with salary arrears reported to have accumulated since September of the previous year.[6] Attempts to organise protests were met with intimidation by armed groups and the Ministry of State Security of the DPR and the miners were called "exiled provocateurs".[6] In June 2021, a new longwall face was commissioned by the occupation authorities following three months of downtime, which was expected to contain approximately 403,000 tonnes of coal reserves.[7][8] Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the mine continued to operate and was subsequently annexed in a highly disputed referendum in 2022 by Russian authorities.
See also
References
- ↑ "Coal mine methane in Ukraine" (PDF). epa.gov. January 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- 1 2 3 4 "Еколого - економічний аналіз природокористування на шахті "Холодна Балка"". masters.donntu.ru. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Якість вугілля пласта h10в шахти "Холодна Балка" і екологічні наслідки їх використання". masters.donntu.ru. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Шахти «Макіїввугілля» у 2012 році скоротили видобуток вугілля на 23%". Unian (in Ukrainian). 10 January 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Взрыв на шахте в Макеевке: число жертв растет". Ирта-Fax. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - 1 2 "Реальність "ДНР"". DW (in Ukrainian). 19 January 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Шахта «Холодная Балка» возобновила угледобычу". In Power (in Russian). 19 January 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Шахта «Холодная Балка» снова добывает уголь". Don Times. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
