Serbia: TPP Kostolac is ready for winter power generation despite floods damages on mine

Published on 10. November 2014., News Serbia Energy

Despite the damage that the company has suffered from the recent floods, Thermal Power Plants and Mines Kostolac is ready for winter production of coal and electricity.

Three units with total output of 650 megawatts in Kostolac are online, and also it is expected that the unit B be on the network by the end of the year, whose redevelopment is in its final stage.

From Kostolac announce stable coal production for winter production and current reserves are about 2.5 million tons, there is slightly more than 400,000 tons at landfill of thermal power plants, which assures that the electricity from Kostolac will go regularly and with maximum involvement of production capacity.

Additional 2.5 million tons of coal will be revealed on the Kostolac pits by the end of the winter season. Besides it will be excavated one million tons of coal by the end of the year and, which is currently under the sludge, which is aqueous in the Kostolac pits after flooding in the amount of 800,000 cubic meters.

Director of the Directorate for coal production, Goran Horvat said it was planned to be produced 4.5 million tons of coal in Kostolac during the winter, until the end of March, which is sufficient for the operation of all four units with a maximum load.

The plan is, as it was stated, to be further continued the intensive production of overburden, but also the tailings remediation.

The total electricity production in Kostolac, from the beginning of the year until the end of October, amounted to approximately 3,275,240 megawatt hours (MWh), which is a few percent less than planned amounts, primarily due to the numerous this year’s suppressions of thermal capacities due to favorable hydrology.

The coal production in open pit “Drmno” began on October 10^th, after completing the repair and reconstruction of transport haulage system. All repair’s activities were conducted in accordance with the plan during the period from September 10^th to October 10^th, it was announced on the company’s website.

Around 21,000 tons of coal has been excavated daily in Kostolac with mining equipment, which is in accordance with work needs and engagement of thermal capacities, and two excavators are currently engaged in the coal excavation.