The specialists of Central GOK identified significant energy-saving potential in the skip hoisting device of the mine, which serves as the primary transportation mechanism at Kolachevskyi mine for lifting ore from underground mine workings to the surface.

Maksym STRILETS, head of CGOK's energy management department, explained, "Ore is mined in three shifts, so the skip operates periodically, because there are shift changes, breaks for routine maintenance in the mine shaft. So the skip is active for 14 hours daily and is on standby for the remaining 10 hours. The hoist is powered by a synchronous operation of a 3.5 MW motor driving a generator, which in turn controls DC drives and initiates the skip drum. Operating requirements prohibit stopping more than once a month, so the powerful main drive operated continuously, regardless of whether the skip was going underground or is in a standby mode. At the same time, even at idle mode, the drive consumed a lot of electricity – 526 kW per hour."

The specialists analyzed the power consumption and the mode of operation of the hoisting device drive and proposed to replace the generator-motor system with a thyristor converter-motor system. The idea was implemented, and since May 1st of this year, the mine skip has been operating on a different, energy-efficient principle. The generator-motor system was put into reserve, which reduces the motor's idle time by 10 hours daily. This will result in annual electricity savings of 2.1 million kWh, equivalent to UAH 10 million in savings for the plant per year.

Furthermore, the project included the modernization of the device for protecting and controlling the movement of the hoisting device, which ensures that it stops exactly at the right point and reduces the time for accurate positioning of the skip for loading or unloading. This further reduces the cost of electricity.

This initiative marks the fifteenth project implemented at Central GOK under energy service contract with YASNO Efficiency.