Kholodna Balka coal mine
Coal mine in Donetsk, Ukraine
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The Kholodna Balka coal mine (Ukrainian: Шахта «Холодна балка») is a large coal mine located in the south-east of Ukraine in Donetsk Oblast. Kholodna Balka represents one of the largest coal reserves in Ukraine, having estimated reserves of 51.3 million tonnes.[1] The annual coal production is around 523,000 tonnes.[citation needed] It is administratively under the state enterprise Makiivugol (Макіїввугілля).[2]
 Interactive map of Kholodna Balka coal mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Products | Coal |
| Production | 523,000 |
| Opened | 1957 |
The mine extracts thermal coal used in the energy sector, which is then transported to Starobesheve Thermal Power Plant in Novyi Svit.[2]
History
The mine incorporated the former fields of mines No. 3, No. 2, No. 10, and Pivdenna.[2] It was first opened in 1957.[3] Annual coal production reached 529,100 tonnes in 2008 before declining to 430,400 tonnes in 2010, then rising to 638,900 tonnes in 2011.[2] In 2012, the mine exceeded its production plan by 9.9%.[4] Following the outbreak of the War in the Donbas, Makiivka and the mine were taken over by pro-Russian separatists, who annexed it into the pro-Russian, self-declared Donetsk People's Republic. Later that year in September 2014 there was an explosion at the mine which killed three people.[5]
In 2016, there were numerous strikes by the miners at the mine over unpaid wages, with salary arrears reported to have accumulated since September of the previous year.[6] Attempts to organise protests were met with intimidation by armed groups and the Ministry of State Security of the DPR and the miners were called "exiled provocateurs".[6] In June 2021, a new longwall face was commissioned by the occupation authorities following three months of downtime, which was expected to contain approximately 403,000 tonnes of coal reserves.[7][8] Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the mine continued to operate and was subsequently annexed in a highly disputed referendum in 2022 by Russian authorities.