During his visit to the mine, the Deputy Minister familiarized himself with the operations of the integrated mine – its scale of operations, infrastructure, natural hazards and the challenges associated with the ongoing restructuring process.
“You can't look down on mining – you have to go down into the mine to truly understand what it's all about. The true picture lies underground – where the demanding day-to-day work takes place and where the scale of the hazards and responsibilities is most evident,” said Deputy Minister Grzegorz Wrona. “Only through firsthand experience can one fully understand the challenges facing the entire industry and the people who make it up today,” he added.
Deputy Minister Wrona, representing the Ministry of State Assets, is directly involved in matters concerning Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa. He regularly participates in inter-ministerial meetings regarding JSW’s current situation and the progress of the restructuring program aimed at stabilizing the Company’s financial position.
During his visit to the Zofiówka Section pithead, the Deputy Minister laid flowers at the plaque commemorating the victims of mining disasters, paying tribute to the miners who lost their lives in those tragedies.
He also familiarized himself with the work being carried out underground – he descended to level 900 of the Zofiówka Section, from where the delegation proceeded to longwall B-2 in seam 409/4. The longwall is located in a section of the seam that has not been previously mined, characterized by the highest level of natural hazards – Category IV methane hazard, Level II rockburst hazard and Category III gas and rock outburst hazard. Longwall B-2 is being mine from Level 1080 – a newly constructed level at the Zofiówka Section – which is intended to eventually take over the bulk of production as reserves at the current mining level, Level 900, continue to deplete.
The Minister was accompanied by Bogusław Oleksy, acting President of JSW; Adam Rozmus, JSW’s Vice-President for Technical and Operational Matters; Łukasz Szlązak, Director of the Borynia-Zofiówka Mine, and Tomasz Skoczylas, mayor of Głogów Małopolski.
Following the visit to the mine, the Deputy Minister met with representatives of trade union organizations to discuss the very difficult situation currently facing JSW and the measures being taken to stabilize the Company.
KWK Borynia-Zofiówka operates within its own Borynia and Zofiówka Section deposits, as well as the Bzie-Dębina 2-Zachód deposit, and plans to develop part of the deposit formerly operated by the Jas-Mos Coal Mine. The mine specializes in the extraction of high-quality coking coal used in the steel industry and is an important pillar of the JSW Group's raw material base. The mine is among the most challenging in terms of the complexity of the tectonic structure of its deposits and the severity of natural hazards; however, the mine’s commercial product is highly attractive to customers in the metallurgical industry.
