Vostokugol-Dikson Coal Mine
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Vostokugol-Dikson Coal Mine is a proposed coal mine in Dikson, Taimyr Dolgan-Nenets, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Vostokugol-Dikson Coal Mine | Dikson, Taimyr Dolgan-Nenets, Krasnoyarsk, Russia | 73.5072265, 80.5350454 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Project Type | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed | Permitted | New | 2024 | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5[1] | – | – | Surface | Open Pit | – | 60* | * |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | – | – | Malolemberovsky, Nizhnelemberovsky | Anthracite | – | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Vostokugol-Dikson LLC[2][3] | AEON Corporation [100.0%] | Russia |
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 VostokUgol-Dikson Coal Mine is a proposed surface coal mine near the village of Dikson, in the Taimyr Dolgan-Nenets district, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia.
The cluster has two different coal sections, Malolemberovsky and Nizhnelemberovsky.
Ownership
VostokUgol-Dikson gained its first license in Taymyr in 2014 and has since been granted additional extraction licenses.[4] The company has been conducting geological exploration since 2016.[4]
Historically, VostokUgol-Dikson (formerly Arctic Mining Company) was owned by a businessman Dmitry Bosov through a company called Alltech. Following the death of Dmitry Bosov in May 2020, the ownership in the project company was transferred to his family. In May 2021, the businessman Roman Trotsenko through his company AEON bought 50% in VostokUgol-Dikson from Bosov's heirs. This secured Trotsenko's stake at 100% as he previously bought 50% from Bosov's ex-partner Aleksandr Isaev.[5]
Trotsenko's AEON owns another coal mine in Taymyr Syradasaysky Coal Mine.
Background and Status
This project was first proposed as part of the execution of a decree by the President of Russia to increase the cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route to 80 million tonnes by 2024.[6]
The licence for the Malolemberovsky section was obtained in 2017.[7] In the end of 2018, the Nizhnelemberovsky section was opened with planned production start date in the end of 2019. In 2019 another licence was obtained for 'Lemberovsky square', bordering with the Nizhnelemberovsky section.[7][8] In August 2019, Coal India, the largest coal company in India, has expressed interest in partnering with VostokСoal-Dikson, including joint participation in its production.[9]
Russia's 'Programme for Coal Industry Development up to 2035' (from June 2020) referred to an investment project to develop the Malolemberovsky and Nizhnelemberovsky sections, with a planned capacity up to 30 million tonnes by 2026.[10] However the company revised the plan stating that they plan to produce 19 million tonnes by 2024.[11] Under the new ownership from mid-2020, the plan has been revised to 1 million tonnes by 2023 and 5 million tonnes by 2025.[12]
However the project faced delays and the former owner Dmitry Bosov was already planning to sell the project in early 2020 before his death in May that year.[13][11] The project faced some challenges with respect to its licenses and environmental issues, as well as allegations of illegal production (see below). It appears that the situation has become critical in the end of 2019 / early 2020.
As of October 2022, the status of the project under the new ownership was not known and the company's website was not functional.
A source from December 2022 referred to drilling and exploration works to be conducted in early 2023 at Nizhnelemberovsky section as well as at Syradasaysky Coal Mine, to confirm the quantum of geological reserves.[14] In July 2023, a media source referred to the project as being in exploration and feasibility study phase.[15]
As of October 2024, there was no further news on the project.
Environmental issues
In 2017, the company was sued after the State Environmental Monitoring Agency, Rosprirodnadzor, discovered illegal mining. About 70,000 tonnes of extracted coal was stored on site. In addition, more than 180,000 tonnes were exported in a complex logistical operation in winter of 2017.[4]
The mining in the remote Taymyr has also attracted the attention of the Federal Security Service (FSB). In April 2019, a lawsuit was fined on the grounds of illegal exports. The Agency demanded a fine of 2 billion roubles, but in June 2019, the Moscow arbitrary court ultimately ruled a fine of 600 million roubles. The mining company announced that it would appeal the verdict.[4]
Later in 2019, the authorities stated that the project's territory falls within the Big Arctic Reserve and the project's documentation and the licenses would have to be amended and re-approved. This was also contested in court.[11]
Transport
The project anticipated the construction of two deep-water ports with year-round shipments supported by icebreakers in winter.[16] The ports Chaika and Severny, both to be located slightly south of Dikson, were anticipated to handle up to 20 million tonnes per year.[17] However the terminals are located within areas strictly regulated by environmental legislation.[4]
The Federal Ministry of Natural Resources long rejected the company’s construction plans as the assets would be located too close to the borders of the Big Arctic Reserve. The planned ports are located only few hundred meters from the protected Bay of Meduza, a part of the Big Arctic Reserve.[4]
Opposition
The north-western parts of the Taymyr Peninsula are covered by vulnerable tundra land and the mine faces local and environmental opposition.[4]
Environmentalists have stated that "developing new mega coal projects in such an ecologically sensitive area is 'madness.'[18] Given that the project is expanding its boundaries to the Natural reserve area, environmentalists considered the project illegal. Moreover, the project has many negative impacts on biodiversity.[18][19] Greenpeace Russia also opposes these plans, commenting that the mine is based only 1km from the nature reserve.[19]
Meanwhile, local residents, of which there are 500, have raised their concerns, stating that bears spend most of their time on floating sea ice but recently they have noticed the ice melts quicker than usual. Therefore bears spend the summer months on the mainland, close to their homes.[20][21]
- Owner: Vostokugol-Dikson LLC
- Parent: AEON Corporation
- Location: Near Dikson, Taimyr Dolgan-Nenets district, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia[22]
- GPS Coordinates: 73.5072265, 80.5350454 (approximate)
- Status: Proposed
- Production Capacity: 5 Mtpa[12], revised from 19 Mtpa[11]
- Total Resource:
- Mineable Reserves: Malolemberovsky- 2 million tonnes, Nizhnelemberovsky - 67 million tonnes[6]
- Coal type: Anthracite
- Mine Type: Surface
- Start Year: 2024
- Source of Financing:
Related GEM.wiki articles
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.
References
- ↑ https://www.arctictoday.com/a-new-investor-breathes-fresh-life-into-a-major-russian-arctic-coal-project/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240723041125/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4242213. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240723041323/https://nedradv.ru/nedradv/ru/find_nduser?obj=a92f529c3962cda8dcd124919c8a0e34. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Atle Staalesen, "Big blow to Arctic environment as Russian coal company advances into protected tundra" Barents Observer, 6 August 2019.
- ↑ "Таймырский уголь достался AEON на прошлогодних условиях". rbc.ru. May 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 ""VostokUgol-Dikson"," "VostokUgol website," accessed July 2020.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 VostokUgol website. "«ВостокУголь-Диксон»". Retrieved October 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Нижнелемберовское каменноугольное месторождение". neftegaz.ru.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ VostokCoal, "«VostokCoal-Dikson» and the «Far East investment and export agency» signed a cooperation agreement" VostokCoal website, 15 August 2019.
- ↑ "Программа Развития Угольной Промышленности до 2035 года". government.ru. June 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Bossov decided to sell his coal project in Taimyr to Rosatom," "RosBiznesConsulting (RBK) website," February 3, 2020.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "A new investor breathes fresh life into a major Russian Arctic coal project". https://www.arctictoday.com/. June 2020.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ "«Востокуголь» уходит с Таймыра". kommersant.ru. February 3, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Росгеология в декабре 2022 г. начнет ГРР на Сырадасайском и Нижнелемберовском угольных месторождениях на Таймыре". neftegaz.ru. December 2022. Retrieved August 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Создание угольного кластера на Таймыре помогает развитию территории". www.vedomosti.ru. July 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ VostokCoal, "«VostokCoal-Dikson» and the «Far East investment and export agency» signed a cooperation agreement" VostokCoal website, 15 August 2019.
- ↑ Atle Staalesen, "Big blow to Arctic environment as Russian coal company advances into protected tundra" Barents Observer, 6 August 2019.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Conserve Energy Future: The Ambitious Open-Cast Coal Mining Project in Taymyr Could Cost Russia Heavily in Terms of Pollution
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Telegraph: Russian town besieged by polar bears forced off melting Arctic ice
- ↑ Eye on the Arctic: Moscow supports Vostok Coal’s expansion into protected Arctic tundra
- ↑ The Barents Observer: Big blow to Arctic environment as Russian coal company advances into protected tundra
- ↑ ""VostokUgol" Dmitry Bosov will take on the production of "Arctic Carboniferous"," "RosBiznesConsulting (RBK) website," March 29, 2017.
