Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat content. It has a carbon content around 25 to 35 percent. It is mined all around the world and is used almost exclusively as a fuel for steam-electric power generation. Lignite is the most harmful coal to human health.
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s, has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United Kingdom and South Africa, a coal mine and its structures are a colliery, a coal mine is a 'pit', and the above-ground structures are a 'pit head'. In Australia, "colliery" generally refers to an underground coal mine. In the United States, "colliery" has been used to describe a coal mine operation, but this usage is less common.
Kozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of West Macedonia region. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley. The city lies 710 metres above sea level, 15 kilometres northwest of the artificial lake Polyfytos, 120 km south-west of Thessaloniki, between the mountains Pieria, Vermio, Vourinos and Askio. The population of the Kozani municipality is over 70,000 people. The climate of the area is continental with cold and dry winters, and hot summers.
Greek National Road 3 is a single carriageway road in Greece. It connects Eleusis near Athens with the border of North Macedonia at Niki. It passes through Larissa and Florina. At Niki, it connects with the M5K motorway to Bitola. The section Kozani - Niki is also designated as the A27 motorway, part of which is operational as a 2-lane motorway.
Ptolemaida, is a town and a former municipality in Kozani regional unit, Western Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is known for its coal (lignite) mines and its power stations.
Kozani is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia. Its capital is the city of Kozani.
Coal is mined in every state of Australia. The largest black coal resources occur mainly in Queensland and New South Wales. About 70% of coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia, and of the balance most is used in electricity generation. Coal production in Australia increased 13.6% between 2005 and 2010 and 5.3% between 2009 and 2010. In 2016, Australia was the biggest net exporter of coal, with 32% of global exports, and was the fourth-highest producer with 6.9% of global production. 77% of production was exported.
The Megalopoli Mine is a large lignite and coal open-pit mine owned by the Public Power Corporation of Greece that began in the early-1970s after the completion of the Megalopoli Power Plant. It mined approximately 40 km² or 40,000 ha of which 25 to 30 km² or 25,000 to 30,000 ha of land have been mined with a timespan of 37 years, it is the largest mine in the Peloponnese and Southern Greece and is ranked near Amyntaio and after Ptolemaida.
Coal mining regions are significant resource extraction industries in many parts of the world. They provide a large amount of the fossil fuel energy in the world economy.
According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), Pakistan may have over 9 billion barrels (1.4×109 cubic metres) of petroleum oil and 105 trillion cubic feet (3.0 trillion cubic metres) in natural gas (including shale gas) reserves.
Coal in India has been mined since 1774 and is now the second fastest mined in the world, producing 716 million metric tons in 2018. In 2017, India had 315.14 billion metric tons of coal. The estimated total reserves of lignite coal that month was 44.70 billion metric tons. Due to high demand and poor average quality, India imports coking coal to meet the requirements of its steel plants. India's coal imports have risen from 49.8 million metric tons in 2007–08 to 191 million metric tons in 2016–17. India's coal exports rose from 1.63 million metric tons in 2007–08 to 2.44 million metric tons in 2012–13, but subsequently declined to 1.77 million metric tons in 2016–17. Dhanbad city is the largest coal producing city. State-owned Coal India had a monopoly on coal mining between its nationalisation in 1973 and 2018.
Mavropigi is a village located 11 km southeast of Ptolemaida, in Kozani regional unit, within the Greek region of Macedonia. It is situated at an altitude of 740 meters above sea level. The postal code is 50200, while the telephone code is +30 24630. At the 2011 census, the population was 456.
Rovinari Coal Mine is an open-pit mining exploitation, the largest in Romania, located in Rovinari, Gorj County. The legal entity managing the Rovinari mine is the National Company of Lignite Oltenia which was set up in 1997.
Coal mining is an important industry in Ukraine.
The Turów coal mine or KWB Turów, is a large open pit mine in the southwest of Poland, located outside Bogatynia, Lower Silesia.
Amyntaio Power Station is a coal-fired power station near Amyntaio in Western Macedonia, Greece. Build and commissioned in the mid 1980s, the power station is fuelled by lignite from the adjacent Amyntaio coal mine.
Energy production in Greece is dominated by the state owned Public Power Corporation. In 2009 DEI supplied for 85.6% of all electric energy demand in Greece, while the number fell to 77.3% in 2010. Almost half (48%) of DEI's power output is generated using lignite, a drop from the 51.6% in 2009.
The Drama Coal Mine is a coal mine in Greece. The mine is located in Drama in East Macedonia and Thrace. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 1 billion tonnes of lignite, one of the largest lignite reserves in Europe.
The Profen Coal Mine is a coal mine located in Saxony-Anhalt. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 115 million tonnes of lignite, one of the largest coal reserves in Europe and the world and has an annual production of 9 million tonnes of coal. Mibrag pays €550 million in local taxes per year, or 16 percent of the district's revenue.
The United Schleenhain Coal Mine is a coal mine located in Saxony. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 415 million tonnes of lignite, one of the largest coal reserves in Europe and the world and has an annual production of 11 million tonnes of coal.
