Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa intends to invest PLN 3 billion in its newest mine by 2033. “Twelve years ago, this site consisted of just mud, a meadow and barren land. My colleagues from the Management Board and I visited this spot in January 2007 and we said: ‘There will be a mine here.’ And that is exactly what has happened”, said Włodzimierz Hereźniak, President of the Management Board of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa during today’s ceremony. “The investments involving this mine will be very substantial. Capital expenditures in 2019-2022 will total roughly PLN 922 million.
The new mine consists of the John Paul shaft and buildings, including the winding engine and the temporary administrative building. Subsequent buildings will be built over the upcoming year. There are also plans to sink another shaft, a ventilation shaft, in the nearby community of Zebrzydowice. “The economy must be seen as a whole. No modern economy can exist without steel, and steel cannot be made without coking coal. This highly modern mine will be needed in Poland and across Europe. It should be pointed out that coking coal is recognized by the European Union as a strategic raw material. That is why we should be glad that we are expanding its capacity”, said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who participated in today’s ceremony.
The new mine’s recoverable coal reserves are estimated to be approximately 180 million tons. Some 95% of these reserves are hard coking coal located in two deposits: Bzie-Dębina 1-Zachód (71.4 million tons, concession valid until the end of 2051) and Bzie-Dębina 2-Zachód (106.4 million tons, concession valid until the end of 2042). “This deposit contains very high quality coking coal that meets the highest standards. This is the largest coking coal deposit in Europe. We are in the process of cutting the deposit and we are determined to do this because it is a crucial investment for Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa”, said Artur Dyczko, Vice-President of the Management Board of JSW responsible for Strategy and Development.
Extraction from the first longwall may commence in 2022. Seam 404/1 was selected as the first one to be operated because it can be made available for commercial operations relatively quickly. Ultimately, however, i.e. prior to 2030, this mine will extract coal from four longwalls. The winnings will be transported to the modernized Coal Preparation Plant in the Zofiówka Section.
The launch of this new mine will significantly augment Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa’s production capacity as this mine will ultimately extract approximately 2 million tons of coking coal per annum, while its life of mine is estimated to be at least 30 years. In this way, it is perfectly aligned to JSW’s Growth Strategy, which calls for growing its run rate, chiefly of coking coal, to 18 million tons in 2030. “The coking coal mining industry has a bright future”, affirms Krzysztof Tchórzewski, Minister of Energy.
At present, more than 230 miners are at work in the Bzie-Dębina mine. They have been transferred to work here from the Company’s other mines. They are employed by the preparatory works unit and by the electrical and machinery units. The work they do primarily entails tunneling work to build mine faces: the B-1 test and transport roadway and the W-4 cross-cut. By the end of this year the mine will have 300 employees. Naturally, this will not be the final headcount as ultimately some 2,000 people will be employed in this mine.
The decision to spin off a new mine from the integrated Borynia-Zofiówka-Jastrzębie mine was made by the JSW SA Management Board at the beginning of this year. The decision was also made for this mine to be called Bzie-Dębina, as this is the name of the coal deposit. Until now, the newest Polish hard coal mine had been the Budryk Coal Mine in Ornontowice. It began to extract coal in March of 1994. This mine has been part of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa since 2008.
