On the open pit mines of Mining basin company “Kolubara” annually is produced 30 million tons of lignite, by which is provided 52 percent of the electricity to Serbia. Mining is the basis of Serbia industry, the energy sector, and therefore of the whole Serbian economy. Regardless of the level of country development, the energy sector has always been one of the key economic sectors in economic and generally national progress. One of the most important items of energy policies of all world countries is electricity; a key safety factor is the supply of raw materials. Considering that environmental laws are tighter and stronger in a world, and the certainty of the exhaustion of non-renewable energy sources is higher, much attention is given to renewable sources. However, they will not be able to satisfy economically the growing energy demand. Because of that coal industry is a guarantee of long-term energy security.
Reliance on lignite
In Serbia today the electricity is produced by lignite coal burning, so that our country heavily relies on the ore. The largest company within the “Serbia Power utility Company” and a leading coal producer is Mining Basin “Kolubara”, on whose surface mines annually is produced 30 million tons of lignite. This provides 52 percent of electricity in Serbia. Of the “Kolubara” coal annually is produced about 20 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.
Balance and potential coal reserves amount to 3.356125 billion tons and are located in three coal basin: Kolubara, Kostolac and Kovin. Most of the lignite (90 percent) is used to generate electricity in the plant “Nikola Tesla” near Belgrade, in TPP “Kolubara”, in the Veliki Crljeni and TPP “Morava” in Svilajinac.
Safe and stable production in Kolubara coal basin for the TPP “Nikola Tesla” needs is the key support and a precondition for exercising the electricity production balance in Serbia.Thereby, in addition to the currently active open pit mines that provide the coal for thermal power plants, the opening of new ones is in the development plan.
” Strategy of Serbia Power Utility Company by2015″ and” Development Plans of Serbia Power Utility Company” anticipate construction of new thermal capacities which used coal from tMB” Kolubara “, and an increase of 700 MW. Construction of new thermal capacities must be accompanied by the construction and opening of new open pit mines that will be able to produce the required amount of coal, about eight million tons per year. For supply a new thermal capacities of TPP “Kolubara B” in Kalenic will be used coal reserves from mine “Radljevo”, whose opening is planned for the second half of 2014.
Environmental protection
In order to be able to count on the Kolubara coal also in the future, experts from that sector warn that it is a non-renewable energy source and must be rationally exploited.
Of course, with reducing environmental impacts . In order to the rational management of natural resources , with a corresponding reduction of atmospheric pollution in power plants that use coal from MB “Kolubara ” , there is a project of environment improvement in the Kolubara coal basin . The project has the technological, environmental and social importance.
The realization of this project, called “Green Line “, allows the energy supply in the Republic of Serbia to be environmentally improved, reliable and efficient, has a positive effect on economic growth, environmental protection and climate change, as well as the improvement of the living conditions of the local population. It ensures lignite of equable quality (the use of homogenization), which is mined in MB “Kolubara”, which allows the efficiency increase in the plant “Nikola Tesla” and TPP “Morava”.
Source; Serbia Energy