Yesterday marked exactly one year since the tragedy at the Kostenko mine, which took the lives of 46 miners. What safety improvements have been made at the enterprise and what work has been done in this area?
On October 28, 2023, news of the explosion at the Kostenko mine shook not only the Karaganda region but the entire country. Given that this mine was considered exemplary among all enterprises in the “ArcelorMittal Temirtau” (AMT) coal division, the impact was enormous.
The explosion occurred at 2:33 am. At the time of the accident, there were 252 people in the mine, 205 miners were brought to the surface. Immediately after the explosion, it was announced that 11 miners died and 18 were taken to the hospital in serious condition.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has launched a criminal investigation into the emergency at the Kostenko mine. The then Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov has headed the government commission investigating the causes of the accident. It has also become known that the Government has reached a preliminary agreement with the shareholders of “ArcelorMittal Temirtau” JSC and was completing the transaction to transfer ownership of the enterprise in favor of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The Head of State ordered to stop investment cooperation with “ArcelorMittal Temirtau”. On December 8, 2023 the completion of the deal on “ArcelorMittal Temirtau” was announced.
The following day, a new investor for “ArcelorMittal Temirtau” was officially announced: Kazakhstani businessman Andrey Lavrentyev. In addition, AMT was officially renamed Qarmet. Meanwhile, seven people were brought to justice in the criminal case.
After the Government Commission meeting investigating the causes of the fire and subsequent explosion at the Kostenko mine in the Karaganda region, it was determined that the employer was 100% at fault. Nineteen individuals were identified as responsible for violating workplace safety requirements.
In February, a survey was conducted among employees. The main purpose of the survey was to take into account the opinion of employees about changing work schedules. However, judging by the unchanged work schedule, the innovation was not approved by the miners, and it was not introduced.
As for the promised modernization and changes to the miners’ safety system, quite a lot of work has been done this year. Among them are the positioning system, video surveillance, early degassing of coal seams, ventilation, improvement of the gas analysis system and much more.
The total investment in the Coal Department projects is about $500 million, the company reports.
The mining sector in the country has the highest level of wear and tear of equipment, structures and production facilities. A striking example of a very problematic enterprise that is directly related to both the mining industry and the energy sector is the infamous former “ArcelorMittal Temirtau”.
Experts promise that the difficult legacy left by Mittal will have to be cleared up for a long time, given the thirty-year decline in production, the degradation of technological processes and the lack of investment in key areas, which together have led not only to economic losses, but also to tragic failures in industrial safety and deaths.
On October 28, flowers were laid at the miners’ monument on the territory of the Kostenko mine. Relatives and friends, as well as the management of the Qarmet company and the directors of the mines of the Coal Department, came to honor the memory of the deceased miners.
“The Kostenko mine has been restored to 100% operability. The emergency longwall has been dismantled and isolated. Coal mining has resumed since February. One longwall is operational. We plan to launch the second longwall in April 2025. We have received three new EBZ series roadheaders,” says Denis Dymov, director of the Kostenko mine.
Currently, the enterprise employs 1,282 people. Recruitment to the Kostenko mine is open. In September, an additional tunneling team was formed. At the moment, there are 5 tunneling teams at the mine. (Kazinform)
