Vorgashorskaya Coal Mine

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Vorgashorskaya Coal Mine (Шахта Воргашорская) is an operating coal mine in Vorkuta, Komi, Russia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Vorgashorskaya Coal Mine	Vorkuta, Komi, Russia	67.5953177, 63.6160208 (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	–	1975	–

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
–	3.18	2022	Underground	–	–	448*	1928*

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
–	–	–	–	Bituminous	Met	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Vorkutaugol JSC	Russkaya Energiya LLC [100.0%]	Russia

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

Note: The asterisk (*) indicates that the value is an estimated figure based on various factors, including the company's forecasted or reported monthly or quarterly production data, etc.

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Saleable	2	2*	3	4	2*	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 supplement.

Background

Vorgashorskaya Coal Mine (Шахта Воргашорская) is an operating underground coal mine in the Komi Republic, Russia. The Vorgashorskaya coal mine is operated by Vorkutaugol JSC. In June 2012, the Vorgashorskaya mine, which previously existed as an independent legal entity, became part of Vorkutaugol JSC. Vorkutaugol JSC was owned by Severstal, but the company was sold in the end of 2021 to Russkaya Energiya, whose majority shareholder is Roman Trotsenko. However Severstal will remain the key consumer of Vorkutaugol coking coal - the terms of the sale agreement with include a long-term offtake contract guaranteeing Severstal's supply of raw material.

The Vorgashorskaya coal mine produced 4.17 million tonnes in 2020.

In 2019, Severstal acquired licenses for two sites adjacent to its Vorgashorskaya mine. This expansion would extend the life of the Vorgashorskaya mine by five years, from 2024 to 2029. The company planned to start developing reserves in this expanded area in the fall of 2022, with the first lava launching in 2024. As of 2022, the expansion appears to have been completed.

In 2021, it was anticipated that the mine will stop producing thermal coal in 2022. This is due to the mothballing of Vorkutinskaya CHP-1 and the change of fuel from coal to gas at Vorkutinskaya-2 power station. The mine will continue producing coking coal.

In September 2023 the State Technical Supervisory Board (Rostechnadzor) suspended operations at all Vorkutaugol mines. According to Rostechnadzor, a dust and explosion hazardous condition was detected at one of the sites of the mine, and the operation of the suspended diesel monorail is in violation of mandatory industrial safety requirements.

Vorkutaugol

Vorkutaugol is one of the largest coal mining companies in Russia. It accounts for about 11% of the country's coking coal production. Vorkutaugol operates in the Pechora coal basin. The company consists of four underground mines, one open pit mine and several auxiliary enterprises. Vorkutaugol delivered 8.8 million tonnes of production in 2021, including 3.9 million tonnes of coal concentrate.In 2022 Vorkutaugol increased coal production to 9.7 million tonnes.

According to a media source from December 2021, it is anticipated that the underground mines of Vorkutaugol will be closed in 2030-2036.

• Owner: Vorkutaugol JSC
• Parent: Russkaya Energiya LLC
• Location: Vorgashor, Vorkuta Urban District, Komi Republic, Russia
• GPS Coordinates: 67.5953177, 63.6160208 (exact)
• Status: Operating
• Production Capacity: 2.9 Mt (capacity), 4.17 million tonnes (2020), 2 Mt (7m 2022)
• Total Resource:
• Mineable Reserves: 17 million tonnes (2023)
• Coal type: Bituminous (Met)
• Mine Type: Underground
• Start Year: 1975
• Source of Financing:

Expansion details

• Status: Operating
• Production Capacity: Increase capacity by 2.5 Mtpa to 5.4 Mtpa
• Mineable Reserves: 18.6 million tonnes
• Start Year: 2022

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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.