OREANDA-NEWS. On 13 January 2009 was announced, that 2008 became the year of high achievements in the coal mining for the collective counting over seven thousand people at the Joint Venture Bogatyr created by the United Company RUSAL and the state SAMRUK-KAZYNA holding company. For the first time as much as 46.2 million tonnes of coal have been sold to the customers. It is by 20.8%, or by 8 million tonnes, higher than the sales level of the previous year.
 
In 2008 as much as 24 million tonnes of fuel were delivered to the 11 power stations of Kazakhstan. It is by 15.3% more than the 2007 indicators. The main customers of Bogatyr’s coal are the largest Ekibastuz GRES-1 and GRES-2 stations. Both stations received over 11 million tonnes of coal for the year. The power stations of the JSC Astana Energy, the JSC Almaty power stations, SevKazEnergo, LLP operated in a stable way with the total increase of consumption by 1.6 million tonnes. Over 7.2 million tonnes of fuel were delivered to their addresses while in 2007 as much as 5.6 million tonnes were delivered.

Up to 22.2 million tonnes, or with the increase by 27.4% versus 2007, the power systems of the Russian Federation increased the volumes of consumption of Bogatyr’s coal. Among the eight Russian power stations where Bogatyr’s coal was delivered to in 2008 the Reftinskaya GRES was the main customer: here as much as 12.2 million tonnes were delivered, which is by 3.1 million tonnes more than it was in 2007. Another major customer of Bogatyr’s coal is Troitskaya GRES. Last year as much as 6 million tonnes of coal were shipped there, which surpassed the indicators of the previous year by 500 thousand tonnes. Serovskaya GRES consumed two million tonnes of coal; it is by 800 thousand tonnes higher than the 2007 level. Almost by twice i.e. up to 1.7 million tonnes the shipment volumes were increased to Verkhnetagilskaya GRES.

Another figure tells us about a high efficacy of the activities of the entity in 2008: the monthly average coal shipment amounted to 28.3 trainloads (126,300 tonnes) a day while in the previous year it had been a little bit over 23 trainloads (102,500 tonnes).

The Company is accomplishing coal mining operations being in the continuous process of development. Only for the last two years at Bogatyr and Severny mines two state-of-the-art maintenance Pit-Stops points for automobile equipment were constructed. The transport loop of Bogatyr mine including the construction and reconstruction of new in-pit railroad stations has been reconstructed. A big volume of work at the objects of the drainage mine, energy supply, communications, and the repair base has been performed.

The entity continues the implementation of the new technology, which basis comprises big haul trucks. Since 2006 as much 24 units of such equipment have been purchased including 13 BelAZ trucks, 6 Komatsu trucks, 5 Caterpillar trucks. New highly productive hydraulic excavators are coming for coal mining purposes. Recently the entity purchased another Liebherr excavator with the bucket size of 22.5 cubic meters (in addition to already available two hydraulic excavators with the 13 cubic-meter-sized buckets).

The Company’s 2008 achievements have been acknowledged with high awards. The entity was awarded with a diploma of Honor by the Ekibastuz City Akimat for labor achievements at the production, it obtained an honorary right to ship the one hundred millionth tonne mined in Kazakhstan in 2008. The merits of the Joint Venture in the realm of the social and economic development have also been acknowledged: on New Year’s Eve the miners were awarded with a Diploma of Honor for winning the third place in the Best Collective Bargaining Agreement Nomination in the Paryz-2008 Republican Contest.