Russian
mining and steelmaking group
Mechel has announced the first results of
mining at the Elga coal complex in Sakha Republic of eastern
Russia. According to the plans announced earlier,
mining at the Elga deposit started in August. The Elginsky open pit produced 21,000 mt of coal in less than a month.
The start of the
mining process was timed to coincide with the commissioning of the Ulak-Elga railway up to the 209-kilometer point. The company expects the railway to be fully completed in December 2011. Until then, coal will be transported by heavy-duty trucks from the open pit to the 209-kilometer point.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, the Elga mine is expected to produce one million mt of coal this year. By 2021 the mine is expected to reach an annual output of 27 million mt. The Elga deposit's coal reserves are estimated at about 2.1 billion mt of
coking coal and power-generating coal.