Pechora coal basin
At the disposal of Russia are huge resources. Thus, coal proved reserves amount to about eleven percent, and industrial resources (about four billion tons) - the largest in the world - about thirty percent of the world. The balance reserves are more than three hundred billion tons.
The main coal basins that haveinter-district significance, are considered: South Yakutia, eastern Donbass region, Kuznetsk and Pechora coal basin. It should be noted that the reserves of high-quality coking fossils prevail in the South Yakutian deposit.
Characteristics of the Pechora coal basin
Most of the territory is in the northern regions, beyond the Arctic Circle. This factor largely affects the price of fossils, increasing their cost price.
Geographical location of Pechora coalThe basin makes the extraction of fossils somewhat difficult. It should be said that these reserves occupy the territory of the Arkhangelsk Region, in particular the Nenets District, the Komi Republic. Thus, most of the deposit is located in the extreme north-east of Russia in the European part.
The Pechora coal basin hasforecasted resources, the size of which is estimated at three hundred and forty-one billion tons. Of this amount, two hundred and thirty-four billion tons - the condition, and about nine billion tons - the reserves are explored.
Most of the fossils are concentrated onVorgashor, Vorkuta and Usinsk fields. Of all the explored reserves of about forty percent is coking coal. The greatest value is the fossil that can be used to produce high quality coke, which is more than twenty-four billion tons in the conditioning resources.
The Pechora coal basin is being developed onlyunderground mine method. The volume of production in 2000 was about nineteen million tons. By 2003, the extraction of fossils in this area amounted to about eight percent of the total volume in Russia. At the same time, it should be noted that a rather complicated geological situation, weak technical equipment and insufficient social infrastructure in the region lead to the closure of some mining enterprises. At the moment, there are three deposits in development, and twelve mines are in operation. The total capacity of the mine production is twenty six million tons. In addition, there are five concentrating factories.
The extraction of fossils is carried out in sufficientdifficult conditions. Mines are dangerous for mountain impacts and gas explosions. On average, the thickness of the reservoirs developed in the Pechora Basin is about 2.3-3 m. The development of deposits is carried out to a depth of two hundred to eight hundred meters, the average depth is about five hundred meters. The territory is characterized by a gentle bedding of the seams. The mines located in the Pechora Coal Basin are part of OAO Intagol, Vorkutaugol, joint-stock companies Shakhta Zapadnaya and Vorgashorskaya Mine. Mining is carried out by coal grades D, GZHO and Zh. The caloric coefficient of fossil mines Vorgashorskaya is 0.82, Vorkutaugol is 0.74, mines from OJSC Intaugol are 0.6. Mining resources throughout the territory are characterized by low sulfur content.
Regional markets for the sale of fossilin the economic regions of the North-West, Urals, Central, Central Black Earth and North. Forty-five per cent of the Pechora coal basin is provided by the Kaliningrad region and the North-West region, twenty per cent by the Central Chernozem and Volga-Vyatka regions.
