Brine inflow at Uralkali's Solikamsk-2 mine rising, equipment being removed
MOSCOW. Feb 6 (Interfax) - Brine inflow at Uralkali's Solikamsk-2 mine is rising, and equipment is being removed, the potash miner said in a statement.
"As of February 6, 2015, the sinkhole, which appeared to the east of the Solikamsk-2 production site, had increased and measured 58 by 87 metres wide and approximately 75 metres deep," the company said.
"The level of brine inflow into the Solikamsk-2 mine continuously varies. Between December 11, 2014 and January 21, 2015, the average brine inflow was approximately 200 cubic metres per hour. Between January 22 and February 6, 2015, the average brine inflow increased substantially reaching approximately 820 cubic metres per hour."
"The company has started to remove equipment from the Solikamsk-2 mine shaft in cases where it is not being used to mitigate the consequences of the accident. Three "Ural" continuous miners have already been dismantled and taken out."
Uralkali's shares plummeted on the news: the stock was down 2.4% to 170 rubles on the Moscow Exchange by 3:05 p.m., although prior to that it had risen with the rest of the market and gained 3.2% to 179.7 rubles.
"In line with the accident mitigation plan, Uralkali continues to comprehensively monitor the situation: water inflows are monitored through brine level checks; ground water levels are monitored in the water monitoring wells and the drilling of additional water monitoring wells is in progress; gas levels are monitored around the sinkhole and in the mine; the sinkhole is monitored from a distance using stationary cameras and air drones; and seismologic control of the sinkhole area has been set up," Uralkali said.
"In accordance with the plan of the development of mining works, approved by the Federal Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Supervision Service of Russia (Rostechnadzor), Uralkali is implementing a number of measures to minimise the consequences of the accident: the Company is pumping brine from the inflow area in the eastern part of the minefield to the western part of the minefield to prevent flooding in the area adjacent to the shaft; construction of the brine diversion channel has been completed; Uralkali is continuing works to strengthen the cut-off walls between the Solikamsk-1 and Solikamsk-2 minefields; and the company is backfilling the worked-out areas of the mine to reduce rock mass deformation.
Alexander Baryakh, the director of the Mining Institute of the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said the situation at the Solikamsk-2 mine is stable.
The brine inflow into the mine remains stable at roughly 500-600 cubic meters an hour. Monitoring systems have registered no deviation from that level in recent days. "This is not such a great inflow for our miners, 600 cubic meters an hour, even 800 cubic meters an hour. These inflows can be coped with and operations continued. At the first Berezniki mine, the inflow was 5,000-6,000 cubic meters, up to 7,000 cubic meters an hour," he said.
Hydrogeologists forecast that over the next six months to one year, the brine inflow at Solikamsk-2 may reach 3,000 cubic meters an hour, at which point "the salt dissolution and flooding will be more intense," Baryakh said.