Mining Intelligence and News
Kazakhstan

Abaiskaya Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (metallurgical)
  • Coal (thermal)
Mining Method
  • Longwall
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SnapshotThe Abaiskaya Coal Mine is part of Qarmet JSC’s Coal Department (Karaganda Mine Complex). Qarmet JSC’s Coal Department includes eight mines and the Vostochnaya coal preparation plant. The mines produce primarily metallurgical coal.

At Abaiskaya Mine, along with coal mining (seam K18), development work resumed in early 2024. In 2025, two longwalls will be prepared at once.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Qarmet JSC (operator) 100 % Direct
Qazaqstan Steel Group 100 % Indirect
In December 2023, ArcelorMittal (former wholly-owner of the Karaganda Coal Mines Complex which includes Abaiskaya mine) completed the sale of its assets in Kazakhstan to Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC). QIC acquired all the shares in ArcelorMittal Temirtau and ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Aktau. Qazaqstan Steel Group and its founder Andrey Lavrentiev became the new investor. ArcelorMittal Temirtau was later renamed Qarmet.

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

Karaganda basin is located on the area of the same name and in the center of this region. Carbon coal-content area occupies the land of about 2000 km2 at the total thickness 4000m. Four synclines are notable in the basin: Tentek, Sherubainur, Karaganda and Verkhnesokursk, first three of them make an industrial part of basin and are studied full enough up to the depths 700-1300m.

Productive sediments are represented by Ashlyarik, Karaganda, Dolinsk and Tentek series which contain up to 30 coal seams with the total working thickness 40m, coal ash content varies within the limits of 10-35 % with the tendency of reduction upwards the section. The most-widely spread are coals of types from hvBb to mvb. Karaganda basin is considered as a high gas content and gas content seams intensively grow from the beginning of methane zone up to 400-500m reaching 15-20 m3/t, and are more stabilized on the depth within the limits of 22-27 m3/t. Gas weathering zone depth varies within the limits of 60-250 m.

The coal mines of Qarmet JSC (former ArcelorMittal Temirtau) are located in the Karaganda Coal Basin. The basin is more than 3,000 square kilometers and was formed by strata of Upper Devonian and Carbonic ages, Mesozoic and Cainozoic formations. Due to structural peculiarities, the coal basin is divided into three geology-based mining areas: Karagandinskiy, Sherubay-Nurinskiy and Tentekskiy.

The geological structure of the Abaiskaya mine (formerly the Kalinina mine) is represented by sedimentations of carbonic, paleogene, neogene, and quarternary age. The carbonic section is represented by a full section of Karaganda suite divided into three sub-suites: lower (seams K1­-K6), middle (seams K7-K14), and upper (seams K15-K20). Lithological content of the strata is represented by interbedding of sandstones, siltstones, argillites, carbonaceous argillites, and coal seams. Thickness of the suite sedimentations is 750m. The field of the Abaiskaya mine is located in the Southern part of the northeastern flank of Sherubai-Nurinskaya synclinal as a big tectonic block limited by a series of overlap faultings. Slope of the seam mainly varies 10 to 25° to the northwest. The area is complicated with folds and disjunctive imperfections. Results of exploratory works have indicated 91 disjunctive faults and 82 low-swing imperfections with amplitude distortion of 3-5m spreading from 50 to 300m. Zones of the imperfections have intensive cleavage of the strata with trace of drifts along sliding surfaces.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

Combined production numbers are reported under Karaganda Coal Mines Complex

Operational metrics

Metrics2021
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Raw coal annual capacity  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 19, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 19, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 19, 2024

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2011

Aerial view:

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