West Macedonia Lignite Centre

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West Macedonia Lignite Centre is an operating coal mine in Ptolemaida, Kozani, West Macedonia, Greece.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
West Macedonia Lignite Centre	Ptolemaida, Kozani, West Macedonia, Greece	40.448222, 21.783496 (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	–	1956	2026

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
–	7.4	2023	Surface	Open Pit	160	150	#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
–	–	1600	Western Macadeonia	Lignite	Thermal	Ptolemaida power station

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Public Power Corporation SA	Public Power Corporation of Greece S.A	Greece

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
ROM	27.612*	27.2	17.7	10.3	8.6*	10.5	7.41*

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

Western Macedonia Lignite Centre (WMLC) is a network of surface coal mines, owned by the Public Power Corporation of Greece S.A., in Western Macedonia, Greece.

WMLC is the largest coal operation in Greece, providing coal to major power plants, including: Kardia power station, Agios Dimitrios power station, Amyntaio power station, Florina (Meliti) Power Station, and Ptolemaida power station.

WMLC mine complex consists of several mine fields: Kardia, Main Mavropigis, Komanos, Main Field (Kiriou Pediou), Amyndeon, Florina, Southern Field, Western Field, and the Northern Field.

The production of lignite increased significantly since the beginning of operation of the mines in 1957. In particular, from 1.4 million tonnes in 1960, it rose to 11.7 million tonnes in 1975, 27.33 million tonnes in 1985 and 55.8 million tonnes in 2002 (maximum production). Production was maintained at the level of 50 million tonnes per year until the year 2012, when a gradual decline began. In the year 2020, the lignite production from the mines in the area of the West Macedonia Lignite Centre (WMLC) was 10.3 million tonnes.

Joint coal production of PPC coal mines was 9.5 million tonnes in 2023.

Together with Megalopolis Lignite Center and the head office in Athens, PPC employed during 2022 a total permanent workforce of 2 947.

Coal Phase-Out

As of 2021, after the cessation of the operation of the Amyntaio - Lakkias and Kardia Mines, the South Field Mine and the Mavropigis Mine which is part of the Central Field Mine Unit, remained in operation. These mines were supplying the units of the Agios Dimitrios power station and are expected to supply the new Unit V of the Ptolemaida power station, for as long as it burns lignite. In January 2024, Public Power Corporation announced that Ptolemaïda V would cease burning coal in 2026.

As per PPC's 2023 Annual report, the Group is committed to the withdrawal of the lignite-fired power plants and the corresponding mines through an intensive decommissioning plan. However, due to the energy crisis, the extension is being modified, and PPC has set a new target by the end of 2026, depending also on market conditions.

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Additional data

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