Ukraine’s government aims to open three new coal mines with annual production capacity of 10.2 million tonnes to help increase output.
The mines will be located in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions and the Lviv region in the west, the government said today in a statement on its website. It gave no schedule for starting production.
The government also plans to complete the first stage of a new mine in the northwestern Volynska region next year, according to the statement. The mine will produce 450,000 tonnes of coal a year after the first stage is finished, it shows.
President Viktor Yanukovych said that government-managed mines in the country should aim to produce between 100 million and 105 million tonnes of coal a year.
According to ministry figures released, Ukrainian coal mines managed by the Coal and Energy Ministry increased production by 829,000 tonnes to 9.39 million tonnes in the first quarter.
( Source: www.steelguru.com )