Serbia mining:Towards the opening of the open pit mine “Radljevo”, Geologists estimate coal reserves

Published on 20. September 2013., Mining

Throughout the last year, the area of the future OPM “Radljevo” along with that of the currently most productive mine – OPM “Tamnava West Field” was a venue of extensive geological works

 

The opening preparations for the new mine within the MB “Kolubara” are well underway so the overburden operations in the OPM “Radljevo” are planned to start in the second half of the next year. The research of possibilities for the new mine opening was greatly contributed by the geologists of OPM “Tamnava West Field”.

The Operation Geology department of “Tamnava West Field” is a part of the Geological Service of the Branch “Open Pit Mines” that also belongs to the Sector for production-technical affairs. The Geology department at the “Tamnava West Field” employs 11 geology engineers and a technician. The duty of Geological Service normally includes providing of adequate geological data and adapting them to the on-site situation by geological benches mapping.

The goal is to obtain a better quality and more accurate data of which shall be made the bases for the most rational mining of coal and extension of the OPMs.

The years of the extensive explorations in this area were 2007, 2010 and 2012. The task of geologists was to clearly define the coal bearing series, analyze the hydrogeological situation together with the drainage and to do calculations for all slopes and stability of the dumpsite.

 

The department manager Mr. Miodrag Kezović, MSc. says that OPM “Tamnava West Field” disposes with 315 million tons of mining reserves and 420 million tons of geological reserves, but that the area shows some complexity, particularly in the western part that is characterized by intense stratification. With the advancement of mining operations, the situation gets even more complex. To ensure the coal quality of 6,700 kJ/kg needed for use in thermal power plants, it is necessary to improve the original quality.

The department also deals with measuring of the groundwater level, which task is done by three workers from the department and five workers from the Department of Drainage. The measurements results are reported on daily basis, and the complete team of eight workers is engaged in the area of future OPM Radljevo.

The explorations in the area of the future OPM “Radljevo” were carried out in several stages, and now preparations for its opening are under way. At the beginning of the century, Radljevo area was also a worksite where the works in connection with the OPM “Tamnava West Field” were carried out.  Summarized results of those works in the Project Report for 2006 indicate an amount of 532 million tons of geological reserves as determined and certified by the Commission. The revised study that was certified in 2008 by the Ministry of Mining and Energy and has been valid since confirms that the balance geological reserves of the deposit “Radljevo -North” amount to 455 million tons of coal B + C1 categor . The project of geological explorations developed by the “Project” was the basis for last year’s exploration works, for the needs of geological reserves upgrade, geotechnical explorations, and recovery of previous hydrogeological structures and construction of new ones.

The problem of uneven lignite quality that we have in OPM “Tamnava West Field” also stands for the future mine “Radljevo” which has the greatest stratification out of Kolubara coal basin deposits, especially in its southern part, said Mr. Milan Planinčić, a hydrogeologist in charge of monitoring the explorations  within the Field “Radljevo”. The deposit of “Radljevo”, which covers about 80 square kilometers, is deepest in its southern part where it has very unfavorable mining conditions. There will be problems relating to slopes stability and the hydrogeological situation. The 2006 Study refers only to the northern part, i.e. the area covering 58 km², of which coal-bearing area is 33 km² in size. Geological explorations of this field can be divided into those performed ​​in the period from the sixties of last century to the year 2000 and after that.

Source; RBK