In the context of Poland’s commitments under the European Union’s climate policy, including the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package, as well as the decision to ban imports of hard coal from Russia and Belarus, ensuring the stability of the domestic market for energy commodities is becoming a key challenge. The response to these needs is the Coal Platform concept developed by the KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology (KOMAG), which aims to integrate data on hard coal resources, production, and demand. The most important problem is not the just-in-time (JIT) strategy itself, but the lack of accurate, up-to-date data and the high technological and organizational inertia on the production side. The JIT strategy assumes an ability to predict future demand well in advance, which requires advanced analytical tools. Therefore, the Coal Platform project analyses the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to forecast demand and adjust production to actual market needs. The developed mathematical model (2024–2030) takes into account 12 variables, and the tested forecasting methods (including ARX and FLNN) exhibit high accuracy, which together make it possible to reduce overproduction, imports, and CO2 emissions, supporting the country’s responsible energy transition. This article describes approaches to issues related to the development of the Coal Platform and, above all, describes the concept, preliminary architecture, and data model. As an additional element, a mathematical model and preliminary results of research on forecasting methods in the context of historical data on hard coal production and consumption are presented. The core innovation lies in integrating the just-in-time (JIT) philosophy with AI-driven forecasting and scenario-based planning within a cloud-ready Coal Platform architecture, enabling dynamic resource management and compliance with decarbonization targets.
Methane contained in ventilation air from hard coal mines (VAM, ventilation air methane) represents a significant environmental and technological challenge due to very large volumetric airflow rates and low methane concentrations. The feasibility of applying VAM utilisation technologies depends not only on methane concentration but also on ventilation air quality, including dust content, humidity and gaseous contaminants. This paper presents an analysis of dust in air emitted from hard coal mine exhaust shafts in Poland and Romania, based on measurement data and studies conducted within the ProVAM project. The dataset includes 155 dust concentration measurements from 24 main fan stations, supplemented by analyses of dust composition and particle size distribution for selected shafts. The results show that, in the analysed dataset, most reported mean total dust concentrations were within the range of approximately 1–3 mg/Nm3, with considerable temporal variability. Particle size analysis performed for two selected Polish shafts showed that fine particles dominate in terms of number, whereas coarser particles contribute disproportionately to the volume weighted distribution and, approximately, to the mass contribution. The results are compared with the requirements of VAM oxidation technologies, particularly regenerative thermal oxidisers (RTOs), for which selected commercial systems specify technical reference values for dust concentration in the supplied air. In many analysed cases, particularly where dust was dominated by incombustible mineral matter, air pre-treatment should be considered before ventilation air is introduced into VAM utilisation systems. A comparative assessment of dry dust-removal methods is also conducted, including gravitational, inertial, centrifugal, filtration and electrostatic devices. Considering the operating conditions of mine ventilation air, including high airflow rates, high humidity and dust characteristics, cyclone battery systems are discussed as a technically justified candidate for the primary dust-removal stage, while their final applicability requires site specific verification. The results indicate that dust removal should be considered an integral element in the design of methane emission reduction systems based on VAM utilisation technologies.
This study develops econometric models to examine greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal and natural gas consumption in Poland between 2015 and 2023. Poland has one of the most carbon-intensive energy systems in Europe. Three complementary log–log econometric models were estimated: a model explaining total CO2 emissions, a model assessing emission intensity (CO2 per unit of GDP), and a model capturing short-term variations in emission intensity. The results demonstrate that coal consumption remains the dominant determinant of absolute emissions, whereas the expansion of renewable energy significantly contributes to lowering the carbon intensity of economic growth. However, short-term fluctuations in emission intensity are still largely influenced by changes in fossil fuel consumption patterns. The findings highlight the gradual and sequential character of Poland’s energy transition, where gains in environmental efficiency precede a consistent reduction in total emissions. The proposed modeling framework offers an empirical basis for evaluating the effectiveness of climate and energy policies and can support the formulation of decarbonization strategies in economies heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
The reuse of post-mining infrastructure for pumped-storage hydropower may reduce new underground construction while supporting the repurposing of decommissioned mines. This study presents a site-specific preliminary technical and pumping-energy assessment of an underground pumped-storage system using Budryk Shaft II as the lower reservoir. The assessment integrated shaft geometry, hydraulic conditions, turbine–generator selection, pressure-pipeline configuration, structural adaptation, hydraulic isolation, and staged water return. A working water volume of 12,000 m3 was adopted. The proposed generation unit comprises a vertical Pelton turbine operating at a gross design head of 900 m, a rated net head of 837.81 m, and a discharge of 0.71 m3/s. The rated turbine output is 5287 kW, and the turbine is coupled to a 6.3 kV synchronous generator. The three-stage pumping calculation yielded energy demands of 7.037, 19.600, and 37.371 MWh, giving a total of 64.008 MWh. These values are calculation-based estimates derived from the listed nominal pump capacities and powers using a simplified proportional power–flow assumption. At the rated turbine output, the calculated generation time of 4.695 h corresponds to 24.822 MWh of mechanical energy at the turbine shaft. Because verified generator-efficiency data are unavailable, the generated electrical energy and electrical round-trip efficiency cannot be determined exactly. The ratio of turbine-shaft energy to the calculated pumping-energy demand gives an upper-bound energy-return indicator of approximately 38.8%. Further work must verify pump operating points, generator performance, hydraulic transients, structural integrity, shaft sealing, auxiliary-energy demand, and the complete hydraulic connection to the upper reservoir.
Methane (CH4) is one of the most important greenhouse gases, and substantially impacts climate change. Over a 20-year period, its global warming potential (GWP) is approximately 80 times higher than that of carbon dioxide (CO2). One of the significant sources of methane emissions is the hard coal mining industry, particularly regarding the release of methane with mine ventilation air. Methane released from coal seams during mining operations and discharged into the atmosphere through exhaust shafts is referred to as VAM (Ventilation Air Methane). In the context of the European Union’s climate policy, activities aimed at reducing and utilizing VAM emissions are gaining increasing importance. One initiative supporting the development of such solutions is the research project ProVAM (Reduction of Ventilation Air Methane Emissions in the Coal Mining Transformation Process), implemented by a consortium of scientific and industrial institutions from EU member states. The project focuses on developing guidelines and selecting technologies dedicated to the utilization of VAM. This article presents a methodology for assessing parameters associated with VAM emissions and provides a characterization of the selected mine exhaust shafts analyzed within the ProVAM project. Key technical factors affecting the feasibility of using oxidation technologies to reduce methane emissions from hard coal mining are identified.
