Annual geological surveys conducted by Quang Hanh Coal Mine reveal that many mining faces unusual geological conditions: interbedded rocks, pillar rocks, closed seams, unexpected geological faults, thin and unstable coal seams. Some mining operations encounter exposed pillars, meaning areas where hard limestone layers are interbedded, making further extraction impossible and forcing the removal of all equipment to relocate to another area.
Furthermore, the mine is located in an area with many layers of high-pressure water. Some production areas have had to be shut down to deal with water seepage, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. This makes the preparation of new longwall mining even more difficult, making it impossible to carry out the usual "rolling" method as in mines with stable conditions.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of Quang Hanh Coal Company - TKV, said: In previous years, the unit's coal turnover rate was 17-20 times/year, but in recent years, the turnover rate has increased to 28-30 times/year, leading to increased production costs, reduced coal quality, and difficulties in attracting labor.
Unwilling to fall behind in the Group's production lineup, Quang Hanh Coal Mine confronted its difficulties and limitations head-on to find solutions. "The most prominent problem at the mine is the excessively long and frequent shift times during the year, affecting production progress. The limited width of the mining face makes shifting unavoidable, but finding ways to shorten shift times and extend actual production time is a necessary improvement," Mr. Tuan further explained.
The turning point for Than Quang Hanh came at the end of 2024, when the company decided to establish the Underground Mining Service Workshop. This unit specializes in the transition of mining areas and is systematically organized to ensure that as soon as the old longwall mining is completed, the new area is ready. The specialized layered production organization has created a flexible chain of operations; the mining workshop focuses solely on coal extraction, while the transition of mining areas, with its numerous complex tasks from recovery, transportation, equipment installation, and support, is carried out simultaneously and in-depth.
To ensure all conditions were met for the new mine to operate immediately after the old one ceased operation, the Underground Service Workshop divided its production into three continuous shifts. As a result, the mining workshops were able to continuously prepare overlapping production areas, eliminating the disruptions in production cycles experienced previously.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tuong, Head of the Underground Service Workshop, Quang Hanh Coal Company - TKV, said: In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the Underground Service Workshop completed many key projects: recovering 136 ZRY support frames at the -150/-120 level, transporting and installing 34 ZH1600 supports at the -130/-110 level, and completing the conveyor belt line to serve the new longwall mining system at the -175/-300 level - on schedule as assigned by the company. Thanks to this, the company's total production in the first quarter reached 25.2% of the annual plan, significantly higher than the 22-23% usually seen in previous years.
Shortly after its commissioning, the Underground Mining Service Workshop demonstrated its capabilities. The greatest and most evident result was the output achieved from the Quang Hanh Coal Mine's working faces. For example, at Mining Workshop 7, all production indicators exceeded the plan. Productivity with ZH technology reached 5.2 tons/worker, exceeding the plan of 4.2 tons/worker; with ZRY technology, it maintained a level of 5 tons/worker.
In the first quarter of 2025, the company's assigned raw coal production target for the workshop was 189,500 tons, an increase of approximately 10% compared to the same period last year. Previously, this target would have been very difficult to achieve due to the long transition period. However, in the first quarter of this year, the unit made remarkable progress, reaching 38% of its production plan. Workers' income reached nearly 19 million VND per month, and their living standards have improved gradually.
"We are performing an average of 1-2 site relocation operations per month, meaning we expect up to 22 relocations per year. Without a dedicated unit, site relocation work could easily be disrupted, affecting the entire company's production," said Mr. Tran Minh Tuan, Foreman of Mining Workshop 7, Quang Hanh Coal Company - TKV.
Thus, the difficult problem has been solved for Quang Hanh Coal Mine. In 2025, Quang Hanh Coal Mine was assigned by TKV (Vietnam Coal Corporation) a raw coal production target of 1 million tons and a tunnel excavation of 19,400 meters. While these targets are not high compared to other units, Quang Hanh Coal Mine will have to achieve them under still very harsh geological conditions: many areas with closed seams, exposed pillars, faults, and a high number of site changes. With this new breakthrough and a tightly organized production plan, Quang Hanh Coal Mine is hoping to complete 60-65% of its annual plan by the end of the second quarter, creating the necessary reserves to overcome the third quarter – the rainy season and the peak site change season.
Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/no-luc-vuot-kho-cua-than-quang-hanh-3356943.html
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