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Mechel Reports Halt of Sibirginskaya Mine
06/16/2011 - Mechel OAO reports the temporary halt of the Sibirginskaya mine owned by Southern Kuzbass Coal Company OAO, which is part of Mechel Mining OAO.
Mechel OAO reports the temporary halt of the Sibirginskaya mine owned by Southern Kuzbass Coal Company OAO, which is part of Mechel Mining OAO.
A heightened level of fire gases was detected in the mined-out area of the Sibirginskaya mine’s long wall 3-1-9, which indicates self-heating of coal. As a result of the finding, the facility halted mining works at the site and returned all miners to the surface.
No carbon monoxide was detected in the long wall 3-1-9’s active mine-working.
Southern Kuzbass Coal Company’s experts have mapped out measures to prevent possible negative consequences from this incident’s, which included temporarily isolating the long wall 3-1-9. Experts are using remote probing to monitor the content of gases in the long wall’s mined-out area.
Mining at the Sibirginskaya mine is currently halted, with the mine’s experts working on identifying a way to liquidate the source of self-heating. The company noted that the mine’s entire production infrastructure, including transport, ventilation, pumps, power facilities, tunneling faces and active mine-working areas are operational and safe.
The company will determine when mining can resume once the project of liquidating the source of self-heating is complete.
The company noted that the mine’s storages hold enough coal for it to meet all its contractual obligations. The company also said that halting the mine’s work will not impact the construction project for Sibirginskaya’s second line, which, when completed, is due to increase the enterprise’s production capacity to 2.4 million tonnes a year.
Mechel, one of Russia’s leading companies, conducts business in four segments: mining, steel, ferroalloy and power. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, nickel, steel, ferrochrome, ferrosilicon, rolled products, hardware, heat and electric power, and its products are marketed domestically and internationally.
