Students:Mining company group: Difference between revisions

The Czech Coal Group is based in Most and it is one of the biggest suppliers of electricity in the Czech Republic. It includes mainly mining companies Vršanská, Uhelná and Litvínovská Uhelná, Czech Coal a.s. itself is a trader in energy commodities and GHG emission allowances. Czech Coal contributes to the total brown coal extraction in the Czech Republic by 32%. The group holds shares in several power and heat plants. Czech Coal Group is an important regional employer and provides jobs to 5100 people. In the Most region, 6,8% of workers were employed by Czech Coal in 2010. In 2010, The group had annual net sales of 8,2 billion Czech Crowns.  

Intensive mining for brown coal in the Most region began in the second half of the 19th century. In the first decades, underground mining was applied. In 1901 surface mining began and was intensified after the Second World War, when the national strategy was to extend heavy industry production. After 1989 brown coal mining was reduced from 87 million tonnes to 67 million tonnes in 1993 . In 1998 Mostecká Uhelná the state mining company operating in the Most region, was privatized. Recently renamed to Czech Coal, the company continues with its activities within the given mining limits.  

Brown coal reserves located next to ČSA beyond the current mining limits are the biggest in the country: they are estimated to 925 million tonnes, which makesUsti nad Labem Region an attractive long-term investment opportunity and has the potential to become a very important location for the European energy generation. To decrease the EU’s dependency on energy imports, which are already today approximately 50% of energy raw materials, it is absolutely essential to keep up the regional mining activities and to consider the possibility of exceeding the mining limits: the growing lack of energy generation sources in Europe are alarming and it would be absolutely irresponsible to give up this region’s mineral wealth and not to use it to support extensive sustainable development or even reconstruction of the region. Moreover, the Czech energy sector relies on coal and would be even able to export energy, which would generate income and strengthen the economical position of the country.  

The gross electricity generation in 2009 was 82.3 TWh. Thermal power plants cover around 60% of domestic electricity consumption. Up to 90% of brown coal in Czech Republic is used for the generation of power and heat.