Kolubara D & E Coal Mine

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Kolubara D & E Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Kalenic, Central Serbia, Serbia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Kolubara D & E Coal Mine	Kalenic, Central Serbia, Serbia	44.418099, 20.338872 (exact)

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

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	1964	–

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
–	6.3	2023	Surface	Open Pit	–	100	#REF!*

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
400	–	–	Kolubara	Lignite	Thermal	Kolubara B Power Station

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD	Government of the Republic of Serbia	Serbia

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Saleable	9.5	9.6	9.2	8.4	3.6	–	6.3

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September and December supplements.

Background

The Kolubara Field D and E coal mine is a surface mine near Barosevac, Serbia. It is part of Kolubara Mine Complex. It was previously referred to as Polje D mine.

It is located in the eastern part of the Kolubara basin, around the towns Zeoke, Sakulja and Barosevac.

A map of the pits of the Kolubara mine complex.

As per 2019 Euracoal Report, preparatory works were in progress to develop open-pit mine Field E, with 400 million tonnes of lignite reserves, as a replacement for Field D.  The E mine’s planned annual output was 12 million tonnes. In August 2019 it was reported that Field E project has been completed. From 2019 onwards EPS showed joint production from Fields D and E in its annual technical reports. In 2023, production was reported only for Filed E at 6.3 million tonnes. It is therefore assumed that production at Field D has now discontinued. As per 2008 EBRD's document, Field D should have discontinued mining already already by 2016.

Media reports from January 2023 reported a landslide affecting Field E coal mine that trapped some of the mining equipment. There were no casualties and it appeared that production would be shortly restored.

The national Energy Strategy of Serbia up to 2040 (with projections up to 2050) adopted in late 2024 indicated that Field E mine was in the stage of investment construction with partly completed investments. Investments in Field E were estimated to be EUR 600 million. In general, the issue of low lignite quality in some parts of the Kolubara basin shall be solved by selective excavation, homogenization and with introduction of integral management system, as well as by supplying a certain amount of more quality coal from the Kostolac basin.

National Coal Plans

In July 2024, Serbia adopted the final National Energy and Climate Plan highlighting that with the exception of some units, generally coal power plant capacities will be maintained and will not be dismantled until 2045. The national Energy Strategy of Serbia up to 2040 (with projections up to 2050) indicated that coal production shall be gradually lowered. It is estimated that the demand for brown coal and dry lignite will be halved by 2040, in relation to the reference year 2021. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize and rationalize production in underground coal mining, close non-viable mines with almost depleted reserves and invest in viable and profitable mines. Remaining coal reserves should acquire strategic character and it is necessary to make investment in overburden excavation and slope stabilization.

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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.