Metinvest’s Central GZK continues to implement energy-efficiency initiatives in collaboration with YASNO Energy Efficiency specialists. Last winter, experts successfully completed a reactive power compensation project at the Hihant-Hlyboka mine.
To adopt more advanced operational practices, Central GZK systematically analyses the performance of each production site, assesses equipment conditions, and optimises resource use. At Hihant-Hlyboka mine, a team from YASNO Energy Efficiency studied the reactive load characteristics and determined that installing automatic static capacitor banks – which generate and compensate for reactive power – would significantly reduce costs. The newly installed reactive power compensation unit generates 8,842,000 kVAr annually, enabling the plant to save UAH 1.66 million each year.
“The reactive power compensation project at Central GZK is the first to utilise a dynamic system,” noted Oleh PYSARENKO, project manager at YASNO Energy Efficiency. “This system precisely adapts to the reactive power consumption schedule, making it highly efficient. Both we and our partners at the plant are very satisfied with the results and the cutting-edge solution we implemented.”
The Hihant-Hlyboka mine is not only vital to Central GZK but also plays a key role in supporting other mines and the wider Kryvyi Rih region. Ensuring stable mine operations is crucial for maintaining safety across Kryvbas’s vast underground spaces. “Our team remains committed to our responsibilities – maintaining, repairing, and servicing equipment, developing and implementing energy-saving projects, and ensuring proper hydroprotection of underground mining areas,” said Viktor LYSENKO, head of the Hihant-Hlyboka Mine. “The Central GZK Energy Management Department, together with mine specialists, continuously develops cost-saving solutions, including in collaboration with YASNO Energy Efficiency experts.”
Commissioned in 1962, the Hihant-Hlyboka Mine had a design capacity of 7.4 million tonnes of ore per year, making it the most powerful mine in Europe at the time. While mining operations have ceased, its specialists continue to provide critical hydroprotection for underground mining areas, supporting not only Central GZK but also other mines throughout Kryvyi Rih.
