Members of Novokuznetsk Municipal District’s Public Environmental Council made their first visit to the Sibanthracite Group’s Verkhneteshsky Open-Pit Mine since it was launched in 2022. The municipality’s chief ecologist, Angelina Golovanova, was also in attendance. All of the visitors positively assessed the company’s efforts to minimize the risk of negatively impacting the environment.

The delegation, consisting of eight people, inspected the mine’s production sites. The head of the Verneteshsky Open-Pit Mine’s Environmental Protection Department, Arina Krisanova, told the guests about the eco-actions planned by the Sibanthracite Group, as well as the equipment in operation at the enterprise, and also answered all the questions of those present:

“We regularly provide publicly available reports on ongoing and planned environmental events, and today we decided to take the guests to a production facility so that they could see everything with their own eyes.”

The members of the eco-council were shown a haul road 18 kilometers in length. Coal transportation is carried out only in tented dump trucks. Garbage is stored in special containers at the mine, and waste is removed according to a schedule. Oversized tires, as well as spent oil and filters, are regularly recycled.

One member of the eco-council, Natalia Malkovets, noted that, by giving its members the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the activities of the Verkhneteshsky Open-Pit Mine, the enterprise’s leadership demonstrated willingness to listen to the opinion of local residents and build an open dialogue:

“The company began its work by building communication with residents of the Novokuznetsk Municipal District, representatives of the public, and local authorities. It is important that large businesses not only successfully mine coal, but also take care of the area and the people living nearby. We have examples of companies that take a responsible attitude towards the areas in which they work, and we would like coal miners to actively adopt this approach.”

Following the meeting, the members of the eco-council and managers of the Verkhneteshsky Open-Pit Mine agreed that such visits would take place on a regular basis.