Novak calls for a ban on the issuance of new licenses for coal mining – Rosbalt

The November accident at the Listvyazhnaya mine in the Kemerovo Region showed that the issuance of new licenses for coal mining should be abandoned. This opinion was expressed in an interview with RBC by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak.

In his opinion, “it is necessary to pursue a policy aimed at reducing the number of especially dangerous mines (deep mines with a high methane content).”

“The mechanism for implementing such a policy is a ban on the issuance of new licenses for the use of subsoil for coal mining,” stressed the deputy chairman of the government.

As a reminder, on November 25 in the Belovsky urban district of the Kemerovo region, smoke and an explosion occurred at the Listvyazhnaya coal mine. 51 people died. An investigation is underway under Part 3 of Art. 217 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Violation of industrial safety requirements for hazardous production facilities, resulting in the death of two or more persons”) and part 3 of Art. 293 (“Negligence resulting in the death of two or more persons”). They are combined in one production.

Later, the Central District Court of Kemerovo imprisoned the president of HC SDS and the main owner of SDS-Ugol Mikhail Fedyaev, chief engineer of LLC Mine Listvyazhnaya Anatoly Lobanov, technical director of SDS-Ugol Anton Yakutov, as well as the general director of the company Gennady Alekseev on this case. Lobanov, Yakutov and Alekseev were taken into custody until January 25, and Fedyaev – until February 14.

The director of the Listvyazhnaya mine, Sergei Makhrakov, his first deputy, Andrei Molostvov, the head of the section, Sergei Gerasimenok, as well as Rostekhnadzor inspectors, Sergei Vinokurov and Vyacheslav Semykin, were also arrested. None of them pleaded guilty.

The Listvyazhnaya mine is part of SDS-Ugol, located in the Kemerovo region. SDS-Ugol is a part of the diversified holding Siberian Business Union, which also includes assets in the field of energy supply, construction, agro-industrial complex, and media. The owners of JSC HC “SDS” are Mikhail Fedyaev, Vladimir, Andrey and Sergey Gridin.