Tugnuisky Coal Mine

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Tugnuisky Coal Mine (разрез Тугнуйский и Никольский) is an operating coal mine in Sagan-Nur, Mukhorshibirsky, Buryatia, Russia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Tugnuisky Coal Mine	Sagan-Nur, Mukhorshibirsky, Buryatia, Russia	51.232402, 108.4233 (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	–	1989	–

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
–	12.5	2022	Surface	Open Pit	–	60*	1392*

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
290	–	–	–	Bituminous	Thermal	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Razrez Tugnuisky JSC	Siberian Coal Energy Company JSC [100.0%]	Russia

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

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Saleable	13	14	14	15	12	12	14

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	Permitted	Expansion	–	3	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 Tugnuisky and Nikolsky coal mines (разрезы Тугнуйский и Никольский) are a pair of surface mines located on the border between Buryatia Republic and Zabaykalsky Krai, in Russia. The Tugnuisky and Nikolsky coal mines are owned and operated by Razrez Tugnuisky JSC, a subsidiary of SUEK.

Construction of Tugnuisky surface mine began in 1984, with a production capacity of 9 million tonnes per annum. After 5 years, the first tonne of coal was shipped. From 2001 to 2012 production indicators at the Tugnuisky open pit more than doubled - from 5.3 to 12.5 million tonnes of coal per year. The Tugnuisky mine became part of SUEK's sphere of interests in 2001.

The Nikolsky coal is located 10km south of the bigger Tugnuisky mine. SUEK is conducting mining operations here from 2018. Initially the mine produced about 3 million tonnes, but in 2020 the Nikolsky contributed 10 million tonnes out of joint 15 million tonne production.

The are two washing plants at Tugnuisky, the second washing plant was installed in 2019. Coal is washed at the Tugnuisky WP 1 and Tugnuisky WP 2, which have an annual capacity of 10.3 Mt and 6.2 Mt respectively.

Most of the coal is exported to the Asia-Pacific market, in particular to China and Japan. Tugnuisky and Nikolsky produce low-nitrogen coal, which meets the requirements of Japanese power utilities. Some coal is exported to China by rail across the Russian-Chinese border. The remaining coal is sold to Russian power plants and utilities.

Production and Expansion

In its 2018 annual report, SUEK stated the plan to increase the production capacity of the combined mines to 15 million tonnes per year, and raise deliveries to the Asian markets by 50% by 2021. 2020 production reached 15.4 million tonnes, so it appeared that these aspirations have been achieved, although 2021 production fell short and was reported at 12 million tonnes.

In 2022 SUEK affirmed the plan to increase capacity of the mines. An industry report from 2022 mentioned the plan of the company to increase the joint capacity to 18 million tonnes by further developing the Nikolsky mine. This would replace the declining production from the depleting Tugnuisky mine, where the remaining reserves were reportedly only 46 million tonnes at the end of 2021. The project to increase the capacity at Nikolsky up to 15 million tonnes was approved by the State Environmental Authority in 2020. In May 2023, the ambition to increase production up to 18 million tonnes was re-affirmed by the company, to be reached by 2026-2027.

In July 2022, export deliveries direction shrunk further in advance of the sanctions on Russian coal from August 2022. However total production in 2022 remained at 12.5 Mt (the same level as in 2021). The company cited logistical limitations of the rail network in the Eastern direction as the reason for not attaining previous higher production levels. 2023 production increased and reached 14.3 million tonnes, despite the challenges associated with equipment and spare parts supplies. There were plans to increase production in 2024. As per May 2024 reporting, new mining equipment was delivered with a view to increase the mine's capacity and replace outdated equipment.

Other Projects

In 2019 SUEK and Zyfra Group’s subsidiary VIST Group, were developing an unmanned drilling technology at the Tugnuysky coal mine.

In 2020, SUEK was investigating upgrading the rail transport for coal from this mine to the Vanino Bulk Terminal. Trains weighing 7,100 tonnes dispatched to Vanino make it possible to increase the speed of cargo delivery, to abandon a train weight change at the Volochaevka-2 station, and to relieve the Komsomolsk-Sortirovochny station. They would boost the carrying capacity in the limiting section of Komsomolsk-Vanino. After trial trips, SUEK is ready to dispatch five heavy trains per day in the eastern direction.

Environmental Violations

In May 2023, following the inspection by the State Environment Supervisory Board (Rosprirodnadzor), 35 violations were reported at the Nikolsky mine, including development of layers that are not part of the mining development plan, absence of treatment facilities for discharge of effluents into the Tugnui River, 32.8 hectares of disturbed land not reclaimed as envisaged by the technical project;

• Owner: Razrez Tugnuisky JSC
• Parent: SUEK
• Location: Sagan-Nur, Mukhorshibirsky District, Buryatia Republic, Russia
• GPS Coordinates: Tugnuisky: 51.332763, 108.490252 (exact) Nikolsky: 51.232402, 108.423300 (exact)
• Status: Operating
• Production Capacity: Combined 14.3 million tonnes (2018) , 15.4 million tonnes (2020), 12 million tonnes (2021), 12.5 million tonnes (2022)
• Total Resource:
• Mineable Reserves: 290 million tonnes (2021), of which 244 from Nikolsky and 46 from Tugnuisky
• Coal type: Bituminous (Thermal)
• Mine Type: Surface
• Start Year: 1989 (Tugnuisky)
• Source of Financing:

Project Expansion Details

• Status: Proposed
• Capacity: 3 million tonnes up to 18 Mtpa
• Mineable Reserves:
• Start Year: 2027
• Source of Financing:

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.