Wartime is a test of strength, which the team of Colliery Group "Pokrovs'ke" has been passing with honour. Mykova NOVIKOV, Director of Production, talks about the current work of the production teams, achieved results and future plans.
Mykova Novikov
“Mykola Mykolaiovych, what tasks are the production sites focused on?”
“First and foremost, it is safe and accident-free operation. It is important that people who go to the mine are aware of the risks they may face and follow safe work practices rather than entirely zero in on the job at hand. To this end, the company is implementing the Safe Workspace programme, which helps to implement preventive risk minimisation measures.
The enterprise currently has four production teams. April will be challenging for many of them due to mining and geological conditions. Section No 7 is a leader in terms of performance. The miners are mining the 6th longwall of the southern panel of block 10. The coal face has now entered the fault zone, which is represented by two step faults. It starts in the upper part and will pass through the entire coal face line. Current, the fault is located at section 145 and we will see the end of it only 100 metres down the conveyor entry. Thanks to the professionalism of the team, the miners are working in such conditions without slowing down production.
The team of Section No 3 has been working steadily in the 1st southern longwall of block 9. We are expecting to enter a ventilation crosscut this month. Currently, it is 49 metres away at the top of the longwall and 98 metres at the bottom. The crosscut was prepared in a timely manner, and all the work was completed in accordance with the datasheet.
The employees of Section No 5 are engaged in coal mining in the 9th northern longwall of block 10. After 13 metres, the team will begin work on turning the 60-metre long face line. At the beginning of the year, Section No 2 started mining the 11th longwall of Block 10. After leaving the assembly passage way, the team has been working steadily and ramping up. While we don't expect any complications in the near future, in about six months we expect a step fault.”
FIGURE
1,238,597 tonnes of coal produced by the miners of Colliery Group "Pokrovs'ke" since the beginning of the year
“What results have the teams achieved so far?”
“Since the beginning of the year, we have been meeting our targets in full every month, even with some slight outperformance. On 15 March, the first million tonnes of coal was mined, and 1,238,597 tonnes of coal were mined in the three months since the beginning of the year.”
“By the end of the year, a number of new coal faces are planned to be commissioned. At what stage is their preparation?”
“At the end of February, we commissioned the 11th northern longwall of Block 10. Two more new working faces are next in line. This will be enough to meet the planned coal production for this year.
1st longwall of the southern panel of block 10 is near-term perspective. We plan to involve section No. 5 to its completion in the summer. The longwall is medium in thickness and has a seam of 2.04 metres. It is being prepared by MDO-3. The miners are using the KNF-160 frontal cutting complex and advanced installation technology, which will allow them to prepare the mining face for operation in a timely manner. To provide a path for the outflow of coal produced in this longwall, the KT-12 team is preparing a new conveyor chain.
By the end of the year, we plan to commission the 2nd northern longwall of the central processing unit of block 11. It is also a longwall with a medium thickness and with seam of 1.38 metres. Sorokin and Vasylenko's tunnelling teams are working on its preparation. The question of the team that will have the opportunity to work on it remains open.”
“Is there a shortage of employees at the company?”
“There is a need for employees. This applies to both engineering and technical workers and representatives of working professions. The shortage of staff is partially overcome by modernising production. We are implementing automation and visualisation systems at the conveyor sections, which helps to reduce the number of maintenance staff. To date, more than 80% of the conveyor lines have been automated and more than 30 video cameras have been installed.
We also hire new employees. Working in Colliery Group has several advantages: high wages, which have never been delayed, even with the outbreak of hostilities, reservation, and social protection for employees. We offer jobs and hostel accommodation to residents of cities close to the frontline. In addition, due to the work of the Vocational Training Centre, we train and hire people without experience.
“What are the team's goals for the rest of the year?”
“This year we need to mine 5,352 thousand tonnes of coal, of which 2,802 thousand tonnes of concentrate will be produced. This requires stable teamwork, commissioning of new longwall faces, compliance with safety regulations, timely supply of materials and many other factors.
Today, the enterprise has a strong team. The difficulties we have to overcome have sorted out weak employees from our team. I am grateful to each employee for their hard daily work, which is important not only for the enterprise but also for supporting the region and the country.”
