Ukraine's only coking coal mine shuts down as Russia closes in on Pokrovsk
With Russian forces nearing Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, from several directions, a key metallurgical (coking) coal mine in the city is now shut down, Reuters reported on Jan. 13, citing two industry sources.
The mine is Ukraine’s only source of metallurgical coal required for steel production. According to the country’s coking coal association, Ukraine produced about 3.5 million tons of coke in 2023 using coal solely from Pokrovsk.
“There is no production; work is only being conducted on the surface," one of the sources said, adding that evacuation efforts are underway.
Metinvest, the company that owns the facility, did not respond to requests for a comment. They indicated that some operations on site were halted last month.
Ukrainian steel industry will now have to start importing metallurgical coal, which will inevitably raise production costs.
In 2022, Ukraine's steel production dropped by 70.7%, to 6.3 million tons. In 2023, it fell further to 6 million tons. The Metal Industry Association previously suggested that if the mine closed, production could plummet to 2-3 million tons in 2025, down from an estimated 7.6 million tons in 2024.
As of Jan. 8, about 7,000 people remained in Pokrovsk. The city has been without water supply since summer, and both electricity and gas supply are now completely halted.
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