Solntsevsky Coal Mine

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Solntsevsky Coal Mine (Солнцевский, ООО Восточная Горнорудная Компания (разрез Солнцевский)) is an operating coal mine in Kransnopol'ye, Uglegorsky, Sakhalin, Russia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Solntsevsky Coal Mine	Kransnopol'ye, Uglegorsky, Sakhalin, Russia	48.933062, 142.186323 (exact)

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

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	1987	–

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
–	11.3	2022	Surface	Open Pit	–	50*	1132*

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
300	–	–	–	Subbituminous	Thermal	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Solntsevsky Razrez LLC	East Mining Company LLC [100.0%]	Russia

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

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Saleable	4	7	9	11	10	11	13

Expansion/Extension

Table 6: Project status

* Added capacity of a coal mine refers to the enhancement in the mine's production capabilities beyond its initial production capacity.

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Project Phase	Added Capacity (Mtpa)*	Start Year
Proposed	Announced	Expansion	–	8	2027 (planned)

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

Background

The Solntsevsky coal complex (Солнцевский разрез) consists of surface mines Yuzhnuy-1 and Yuzhnuy-2 located in Sakhalin, Russia. Solnsetvsky Razrez LLC owns and operates the mine, it is a subsidiary of East Mining Company LLC (ООО "Восточная горнорудная компания").

The Solntsevsky mine complex has been operating since 1987. The complex consists of the Yuzhnuy-1 and Yuzhnuy-2 coal mines and the namesake Solntsevsky coal mine. Only 4.4 million tonnes was mined between 1987 and 2003. In 2011 East Mining Company bought licenses to work at Yuzhnuy-2 site and in 2015 started to look to further expand the complex. By 2015 production reached 4 million tons, then 9.1 million tonnes in 2019 and 10.3 million tonnes in 2021. In 2021 Solntsevsky accounted for 78% of coal production in Sakhalin. The company was looking to modernise the mining equipment and increase production and appears to have completed that expansion.

Most of the coal produced is exported to Asia-Pacific region via Shakhtersk port, also owned by the East Mining Company. Coal is also supplied to the Sakhalin GRES-1 power station and Sakhalin GRES-2 power station.

Conveyor Belt to the Port and Expansion

In 2020, the company started the construction of a 23km conveyor belt connecting the mine and Shakhtersk port. As of August 2022, over 70% of structure installation was completed. The project consists of the conveyor belt, reconstruction of the port, an automated storage facility at the mine site, two substations and another 'transit' storage facility. The conveyor belt should eliminate transportation of coal by large trucks, thus reducing emissions.

In January 2023, it was announced that completion of the conveyor belt project is scheduled for the second half of 2023. In 2022, the coal mine shipped more than 10 million tonnes of coal through the Shakhtersk port; in 2023, the company plans to reach a loading capacity of more than 13.5 million tonnes.

In June 2023 the coal mine produced a record volume of coal in its history, producing 1.4 million tonnes of coal in the month of May 2023. The company plans to produce a total of 13.5Mt in 2023 and in a few years increase port shipments from the coal mine to 20Mt.

Landslide and Pressure on Local Newspaper

On July 10, 2021, a landslide from the mine area travelled into the valley and partially into the Zhyoltaya river. The landslide occurred after an open letter warning about the coal dump's condition appeared in the local newspaper Uglegorskiye Novosti. On July 14^th, Uglegorskiye Novosti's editor-in-chief Zinaida Makarova was confronted in her office by the deputy directors of East Mining Company about her coverage of the company. Later same day, Makarova was fired by the local mayor while working on a news story on the collapse. Furthermore, the Uglegorskiye Novosti offices were raided by unidentified men that downloaded files from office computers, and Uglegorsk Mayor Sergei Doroshchuk ordered the newspaper employees to leave the building. As of July 19, the electricity at the office was cut off for five days.

The East Mining Company published a press release in August 2021 outlining the plan to rectify the damage caused by the landslide. The first stage of mitigation to provide an alternative flow channel for the Zhyoltaya river was completed. In the following 6 months the company was planning to ensure the stability of the landslide material and to cultivate the area.

In January 2022 the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor) fined the Solntsevsky mine RUB1.83 million for environmental damage. The fine consisted of RUB1.54 million for non-compliance with air quality and emissions regulations and RUB290 thousand for environmental damage resulting from the landslide.

• Owner: Solntsevsky Razrez LLC
• Parent: East Mining Company LLC
• Location: 2km from Kransnopol'ye village, in Uglegorsky District, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia.
• GPS Coordinates: 48.933062, 142.186323 (exact)
• Status: Operating
• Production: 9.1. million tonnes (2019), 10.3 million tonnes (2021), 11.3 million tonnes (2022)
• Total Resource: 300 million tonnes
• Mineable Resource:
• Coal type: Lignite and Subbituminous (Thermal)
• Mine Type: Surface
• Start Year: 1987, expansion completed by 2020
• Workforce Size: 800 (1148 with 2021 expansion)
• Source of Financing:

Project Expansion Details

• Status: Proposed
• Capacity: increase of 9Mt up to 20 Mt
• Start Year: 2026-2027

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.