The Budryk mine, which is operated by Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa (JSW), has added a second longwall mining from the A-1 panel in the 405/1 seam, whose reserves are estimated at more than 5.7 million metric tons (mt) of high-quality coking coal. The A-1 panel contains more than 260,000 mt of coal. It is 170 m long, has a strike of almost 400 meters and its thickness reaches more than 3 m.
The longwall uses BW-JZR 13/37 W2 powered support sections, PSJZR-850 face conveyor and a haulage system with PZP Kobra bottom conveyor and KD BW 800-1200 crusher. The A-1 longwall is equipped with an Eickhoff SL 300 shearer.
“The launch of mining in the new area at the Budryk mine is a very important moment, not only for the Budryk mine, but also for JSW,” said Adam Rozmus, vice president, technical and operational matters for JSW. “In the longer term, we also plan to mine from the 405/2 seam. The opening of this area of the deposit will allow the mine’s life to be significantly extended.”
The mining of area A would not have been possible if not for the ventilation connection of the Budryk mine with the Aniołki shaft of the neighboring Knurów-Szczygłowice mine.
“The connection of the Budryk mine’s ventilation network to the Aniołki shaft is proof that Budryk is implementing a well-thought-out, long-term process that places special emphasis on safety and ensuring appropriate working conditions, including climate and ventilation,” said Jarosław Rutkowski, director of the Budryk mine.
For the Budryk mine, this is the second longwall opened in a short period of time in a seam of such significant thickness. At the beginning of September, Longwall Bw-1 in seam 405/2 was put into operation, with the average seam thickness of about 3.2 m and reserves estimated at more than 1.6 million mt. This means that Budryk has strengthened its position as a producer of high-quality coking coal with stable parameters, which is very important from the point of view of raw material buyers.
“The A-1 longwall in seam 405/1 and the Bw-1 longwall in seam 405/2 are very important for the mine’s future development prospects and key mining regions for the coming years,” Rutkowski said. “The opening of these longwalls is thanks to a whole team of people, from the mining, energy and ventilation departments to the prep plant, which, after modernization, ensures excellent final quality of the product.”
Source: www.coalage.com
