Elga mine

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Elga coal mine is a permitted open pit coal mine in Neryungri, in south-eastern Yakutia (Sakha), Russia.

The Elginsky coal mine is part of the Elginskoye coal field in Sakha Republic, Russia. Mechel, who operates the mine, refer to it as the Elga coal deposits. The annual production capacity is 5 million tonnes (Mt) per year, which Mechel is looking to expand to 11.7 million tonnes, saying this has the potential to increase Russia's metallurgical coal exports by more than half. Elga is one of 22 coal deposits in the Toki Coal basin, where there is a reserve with an estimated 40 billion tonnes of coal.

Location

The coal mine is located in south-eastern Yakutia (Sakha), some 415 kilometers east of Neryungri. The map below shows the approximate location.

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Coal Mine Background

Permission for the Elga mine was gained in 2007. Development started in 2010, following the start of construction of the spur-track linking Baikal-Amur Mainline’s Ulak station with the Elga coalfield. The spur-track was completed in 2011, and coal extraction began that year.

According to Mechel, the coal reserves lie in deposits of up to 17 meters.

Project Details

• Sponsor:
• Parent Company: Mechel (51%), Gazprombank AO (49%)
• Location: Southern Yakutia 415 kilometers east of the city of Neryungri, Russia.
• GPS Coordinates: 37.79114,106.790961 (approximate)
• Status: Operating
• Production Capacity: 5 million metric tons (Mt)/year to expand to 11.7 million tonnes
• Total Resource: 2.2 billion metric tons
• Mineable Reserves:
• Coal type: Coking coal
• Mine Size:
• Mine Type: Surface mine
• Start Year: 2011
• Source of Financing:

Transport

Coal is taken from Elga on a private railway. It travels 321 kilometers on the Ulak – Elga railroad constructed by Mechel to link the mine to the Baikal-Amur main train line. The mine is 2430 km from Port Posiet and 1,900km from Vanino Port, from which the coal is exported.

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