Ukraine's largest producer of coking coal, PJSC Pokrovske Mine (Donetsk region), part of the Metinvest group, produced 1.239 million tonnes of coking coal in January-March 2024.

According to the company's information with reference to production director Mykola Novikov, currently the first and main task is safe and accident-free operation. It is important that people who go to the mine remember the risks that may befall them, follow the rules for safe work, and not just concentrate on completing the work. In order to achieve this, the enterprise is implementing the Safe Workspace program, which helps to implement preventive measures to minimize risks.

At the same time, he said there are now four mining teams working at the enterprise. April will be difficult for many of them in terms of mining and geological conditions.

"Since the beginning of the year, we have been fulfilling the tasks in full every month, there is even a slight excess. On March 15, we produced the first million tons of coal, and in three months since the beginning of the year, 1.239 million tonnes of coal were produced," the top manager said.

He also said that at the end of February the mine put into operation the 11th northern longwall of block 10, two more new production faces are in line – this will be enough to ensure the planned volume of coal production for this year.

"The first longwall of the southern panel of block 10 is the immediate prospect. We plan to send section No. 5 to its development in the summer. The longwall is medium in thickness and has a layer of 2.04 meters. (...) By the end of the year we plan to put into operation the second northern longwall of block 11. This is also a medium-thick lava with a layer of 1.38 meters," Novikov said.

Regarding the problem of personnel shortage, the production director noted that there is a need for workers: this applies to both engineering and technical workers and blue-collar workers. Partially it is possible to overcome the shortage of personnel by modernizing production. Automation and visualization systems are being introduced at conveyor transport sections, which helps reduce the number of maintenance personnel. To date, more than 80% of the conveyor lines have been automated and more than 30 video cameras have been installed.

"We also attract new employees. Working in the mine management has several advantages: high salaries, which have never been delayed, even with the outbreak of hostilities, reservations and social protection for workers. We offer residents of cities close to the front line work and accommodation in a hostel. In addition, thanks to the work of the Vocational Training Center, we train and accept people without experience," the top manager said.

According to him, in 2024 it is planned to extract 5.352 million tonnes of coal, of which 2.802 million tonnes of coal concentrate will be produced.