The second section of longwall 3-1-11 at Sibirginskaya, launched following an investment of R300 million (US$3.9 million), lies 450 meters deep and has a seam height of four metres. It is 220 meters long and has an extraction panel of 1,070 meters.
The longwall's second section is equipped with a cutter-loader, an overloader, a crusher, a 220-meter belt conveyor, and a 130-section powered support system.
The new extraction area's industrial coal reserves are estimated at 1.5 million tonnes. The first longwall 3-1-11 section has estimated coking coal reserves of 3.5 million tonnes and was launched in autumn 2019.
Mechel Mining Management OOO's Chief Executive Officer Igor Khafizov noted that "in the near future", the company will begin preparing for mining in its third extraction area, which is due to be launched in late 2022.
