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Zenica Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Zenica-Doboj, Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
---|---|---|
Zenica Coal Mine | Zenica-Doboj, Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 44.1887722213418, 17.9328965975453 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
---|---|---|---|
Operating | – | – | – |
Table 3: Operation details
Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | 0.38[1] | 2021[1] | Underground | – | – | 494* | 1177[1] |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
131 | – | 179 | – | Subbituminous | Thermal | Kakanj Thermal Power Plant |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
---|---|---|
RMU Zenica doo | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [90.4%]; others [9.6%] | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
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
Zenica Coal Mine is an UNDERGROUND mine in Zenica-Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It includes three small underground mines Stara jama, Raspotočje and Stranjani. RMU Zenica operates the mine, which is owned by Elektroprivreda BiH.[2]
The mine comprises three underground deposits: Stara jama, Raspotočje and Stranjani.
The company's (undated) website states that "in order to preserve the continuity of production in all three sections, from 1983 onwards, the chamber mining method is used, as an alternative method, as no significant investments were made in the company to regain the wide-faced method. Coal production in the last five years amounts averaged 0.32 million tonnes pear year.[2]
In September 2014, there was a devastating rock burst with fatal consequences in the Raspotočje mine, which is why the federal mining inspection banned all works in the eastern part of the 8th tectonic terrace of the main coal seam.[3]
Production at the Stranjani pit was suspended in 2019 and a little less than a year later, in June 2020, the Stranjani pit was officially closed.[4]
Coal from the mine is used to supply the Kakanj Thermal Power Plant.[3]
Resructuring and Closure
The parent company Elektroprivreda was planning to undertake restructuring and recapitalization of its seven coal mines over 2021-2023. The company also planned to adjust its coal mines with the national plan to reduce emissions, which will affect the drop in overall production (5 million tons of coal in 2021 is expected to drop to 4.6 by 2022 and 4.3 in 2023).[5][6]
Experts anticipated in 2021 that none of Bosnia’s remaining 11 coal mines will remain operational in the coming decades as eco pressures grow and the country seeks to clean up as it courts EU membership.[7][8][9]
In June 2023, the mine was reported to be on the verge of bankruptcy. Stara Jama mine section was closing due to the lack of production manpower and all miners moved to the only remaining pit - Raspotočje.[4][10] Production was suspended several times already due to unpaid wages in 2022.[4] In the first 4 months of 2023, only 62 thousand tonnes of coal were produced.[10]
Operations were suspended in early October 2023 due to difficult financial situation and the non-payment of salaries to the workers for August 2023.[11][12] It appeared that about 90 employees were made redundant (from 800 to 711) in October as part of the restructuring.[11] It appeared that operations were then on an off, but were finally ceased in March 2024, awaiting the final closure of the mine.[13]
In July 2024, it was reported that the mine is closing due to unprofitability.[14] 600 miners were said to be employed then. Unions highlighted the delays in the payment of pension contributions dragging on for ten or twelve years.[13]
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 (PDF) https://parlamentfbih.gov.ba/v2/userfiles/file/Materijali%20u%20proceduri_2021/Informacija%20o%20stanju%20u%20rudnicima%20FBiH%202230%20B.pdf.
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(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "O nama (About Us)". https://rmuzenica.ba/. Retrieved January 2023.
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- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "CURRENT STATE OF COAL MINES OF THE EP BIH CONCERN AND LONG TERM PLAN OF COAL SUPPLY FOR THERMAL POWER PLANTS "TUZLA" AND "KAKANJ"" (PDF). https://bhee.ba/. 2016.
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at position 50 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "RUDNIK MRKOG UGLJA ZENICA NA KORAK DO STEČAJA: Zatvorena Stara Jama, preostali rudari prelaze u Raspotočje". www.zurnal.info. June 2023.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Coal mining sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina" (PDF). https://china-cee.eu/. 2021.
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- ↑ "How the largest Mine in FBiH fades away: Young Miners are resigning, Production is declining". https://sarajevotimes.com/. May 2021.
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- ↑ "Down in a hole: Bosnia miners fear green revolution". https://www.euractiv.com/. November 2021.
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- ↑ "Seismic Shift Under Way In Bosnia After Pledge To End Coal Industry". https://www.rferl.org/. November 23, 2021.
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- ↑ "MINING IN BIH: Underground mines pending closure, there are no innocent for the social catastrophe". https://zurnal.info/. 2021.
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- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Miners of Zenica Coal Mines continue Warning Strike". sarajevotimes.com. May 2023.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Rudnik Zenica: U toku usaglašavanje oko nove sistematizacije". /zenicainfo.ba. October 2023.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Bit će privremeno prekinut rad RMU Zenica, predloženo smanjenje broja radnika". /www.biznisinfo.ba. October 2023.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Power utility Elektroprivreda BiH posts all-time high annual loss for 2023". balkangreenenergynews.com. July 2024.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kraj jedne priče: Rudnik mrkog uglja Zenica se zatvara zbog neisplativosti?". radiosarajevo.ba. July 2024.
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