Intensive underground mining technologies

that influence the development of mining technologies and mining
equipment design. It covers the most important challenges faced by
underground coal mining companies and discusses growth areas in
mining technology that are aligned with the paradigm of sustainable
development. Using the example of underground coal mining
operations, it illustrates such concepts as the intelligent mine and
the invisible mine, discussing how they can be brought to life. It
also shows how underground coal mining companies can improve
their productivity, OSH management, and environmental indicators
to make their products competitive. As mining operations are
becoming more intensive and the average depth of mining is
growing, which is accompanied by an increase in both methane
emissions and risks associated with rock mechanics processes, it is
becoming vital to accurately predict how the rock mass will behave
and, by applying stress-strain analysis, to identify hazardous zones
and their boundaries. The article discusses several mine layouts and
how their parameters are adjusted to ensure intensive mining.
Among the factors that hinder growth in coal production, it
highlights the underutilisation of high-performance mining
equipment. It also contains a list of key principles aimed at fostering
production growth in the underground coal mining sector and
improving its competitiveness.