Underground Mining

Coal mining can be performed in two different ways as surface mining or underground mining. Underground mining is selected as a coal extraction method if surface mining is not preferable technically or economically. However, underground mining has become more crucial for many different minerals, especially coal, since there is a decrease in reserve amounts that can be recovered only by surface mining.

Therefore, it is significant to choose proper underground mining techniques in ore extraction. Conventional, semi-mechanized, and fully-mechanized production methods are implemented for underground coal mining. Robbing-caving and sublevel caving methods were used in previous years. However, these methods are no longer applied since they have some drawbacks regarding occupational health and safety.

In conventional longwall mining, production can be carried out by advance heading or retreating mining. Coal extraction is achieved via pick, dynamite, and pneumatic hammer. Lengths of the production face and the panels are 30-100m and 100-150m, respectively. Timber or hydraulic prop-wire mesh are used as a support material in the production face. In recent years, chain and belt conveyor systems have been used in conventional longwall mining. This method is applied in 2-3 levels in a thick coal seam. However, conventional longwall mining has started to be substituted by semi-mechanized and fully-mechanized longwall mining methods in recent years.

A fully-mechanized longwall mining method is applied for thick coal seams in 2-3 layers. First, a development stage for rock drifts is performed to access the coal seam, and the seam is connected to the main entry. Then, production panels are prepared by constructing a headgate and tailgate in line with the strike and dip of the seam.

Shield-type walking supports and double drum-shearer are used in the production area of the fully-mechanized system.

Aegean Lignite Enterprise (ELI), West Lignite Enterprise (GLI), Dodurga Lignite Mine, and Silopi Asphaltite Mine, which TKI owns, carry out coal production with underground mining method.

Aegean Lignite Enterprise (ELI) and West Lignite Enterprise (GLI) have lignite coal reserves of around 460 million and 111 million tonnes, respectively. About 9,500 people are employed in the active mining sites with ongoing production and development stages. It is foreseen to increase this number to 15,000 in 2022 after starting production in the sites with development and preparation stages.

The tender process of the asphaltite coal reserve located in the Silopi district of Şırnak province was completed, and the development activities of the subcontractor company are in progress. The project is expected to employ 300 people in the region. Omerler Production Panel-A, where TKI’s own staff carries out the production, and other mining sites of TKI where subcontracted production is performed will continue to increase domestic coal production and contribute to the security of the energy supply.