Over the past decade, commodity prices reached both historic highs and historic lows, mining companies engaged in both significant acquisitions and consolidation, and operational realities shifted profoundly in the face of a digital revolution. That theme holds true over the past year as well. After hitting the bottom of the cycle, prices for many commodities have been slowly recovering, driven by Chinese government stimulus and improved demand in both developed and emerging economies. In many respects, the mining sector is once again poised for growth. It also catalyzed some important changes in the industry, changes which are likely to have long-lasting effects.

The article is the analysis of the world coal industry development in the period of 2000-2017. It has been found that currently, the world coal industry virtually reached its golden age. Some countries cut the number of mines, other stopped the use of coal for power generation, and only developing economies, mainly in Asia and Middle East, expand coal production and consumption. However, high volatility in other energy prices depending among other factors on the world political situation help coal remain a reliable and cheap energy source.

The article addresses the effect of coal dust on the personnel safety at underground coal mines. The authors emphasize the harmful effect of coal dust on the personnel health enhancing the risk of the development of occupational diseases of dust etiology. The article contains the analysis of severe accidents at underground coal mines provoked by coal dust explosions. Research has been performed into sources of coal dust formation in the process of mining, and potential sources of heat, which may cause coal dust spontaneous combustion or explosion. Factors having an effect on coal dust explosibility are listed, including coal dust particle size. The importance of dust-explosion prevention and suppression in coal mine workings based on automatic monitoring of dust deposition intensity in underground workings and continuous automatic monitoring in dust formation areas has been scientifically grounded.

The article discusses the issues concerning the details of design and operation of a group of computer-aided systems belonging to a multifunctional safety system (MFSS) providing communication, warning and positioning of the personnel in underground coal mines. It is stated that the requirements to this group of systems stipulated in the Federal norms and regulations «Safety rules of underground coal mines» evolve due to amendments covering specific parameters for a number of functions and approved by the directives of the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service of Russia (Rostekhnadzor).

The article presents the analysis of methodological approaches to a special evaluation study of working conditions (SESWC). The results of SESWC performed in underground and surface mining operations are described. It has been found that as compared with the results of earlier workplace certification the classification of working conditions has been altered. The number of workplaces of the harmful 3rd category (particularly those of the 3rd and 4th levels of health hazard) has been cut, while the number of those belonging to the 1st and 2nd categories (optimal, permissible) has been increased. The fluctuation range of the results of SESWCs of one or another category at mines of a similar-type line is rather wide. The obtained results raise the question of SESWC results credibility and correctness of their application in the analysis of occupational morbidity at mines.

The modeling of scenarios for the location of a new ore pass was performed based on an integrated approach taking into account physical and mechanical properties of rocks forming the rock mass, with the tests of rock cores sampled in boreholes drilled in the area under consideration. Alongside with the tests, a detailed geotechnical description of the rock mass was prepared, and domains were allocated for modeling with finite-element setting.

Analytical and experimental assessments of the modern range and effectiveness of the use of intermediate detonators (Boosters) for initiating an explosion of blast-hole and well charges of mixed explosives, including emulsion explosives, with different susceptibility to primary resources of initiation.

The article describes the technology of end-to-end computer-aided design of sophisticated parts and units of transport and process machinery and systems

The current ever growing disparity between the today’s needs of production in new competencies of engineers and capabilities of the system of special engineering education makes JSC SUEK-Kuzbass proactively address the task of enhancing the efficiency of engineering education through the introduction of modern information technologies in the educational process provided by the Personnel Training and Development Center.

The article addresses the problems of growing electricity rates. Escalation of rates has an effect on the basic mining, transportation and production costs of energy-intensive sectors. In search of feasible solutions it is important to make a forecast of the interrelated development of the mining and power industries. For the transition to the new wave of innovation new tools and mechanisms of making the studied sectors competitive are required.