Three years after a tragic accident claimed the lives of eight miners, the Soko brown coal mine near Sokobanja is preparing to restart underground coal extraction, which had been halted since the incident.
Following the April 2022 disaster—caused by a methane explosion and tunnel collapse—mining operations shifted to surface extraction at an alternative site within the Soko coalmine. Now, recent public tenders suggest that underground operations are set to resume.
Last week, RMU Resavica, the public enterprise managing the Soko coalmine, announced two procurement tenders related to underground mining. One tender was for the technical inspection of the mine’s compressor plant reconstruction project, while the other was for testing the technical characteristics of steel tunnel supports, essential for mine stability.
Both tenders have now closed, with the contract for technical inspection awarded to Rudarski institut Beograd. The institute had previously developed a supplementary safety and collective protection plan for Field 99 at Soko coalmine, giving it extensive knowledge of the site.
Investigations following the 2022 accident revealed that mining in Field 99 had been conducted without an official permit. The necessary approval from the Ministry was only granted in November 2023.
