INTERVIEW: ELVEDIN COBO, GENERAL MANAGER OF RMU “KAKANJ”
Interviewer: Ena Colpa
SARAJEVO, June 17 (ONASA) – The general manager of the Coal Mine “Kakanj” (RMU Kakanj), Elvedin Cobo, in an interview for ONASA, among other things, speaks of mine operations in the past year, investment in equipment and the measures taken for the safety of miners, the business plans for the next year…
ONASA: Is the Coal Mine “Kakanj” (RMU Kakanj) a key factor of development of the municipality of Kakanj in this time?
COBO: If it is not a key factor, it is certainly one of the key factors as the municipality has more commercial entities such as power plant, cement factory, and many other successful private companies. It is sure that the RMU Kakanj, by the number of employees, but also by the capacity of human resources, is the essential for the development of the municipality, especially if you look at the fact that the Coal Mine has BAM 75 million of annual turnover.
ONASA: What is the mission of the Coal Mine “Kakanj” in relation to your customers or in relation to the major customer, the Elektroprivreda BiH?
COBO: We sell to the Elektroprivreda BiH about 97 percent of our main raw material, or coal, which makes it very important as the buyer. Our mission is primarily the quality and timeliness of delivery, primarily to the strategic buyer, the Power Plant Kakanj (Termoelektrana Kakanj), being supplied with the monthly amounts of 90,000 to 100,000 tons of coal.
ONASA: What are your financial results that you completed in the previous business year and what are the strategic objectives for this year?
COBO: The Coal Mine “Kakanj” operates with a certain loss of the last year that, as with most business entities in BiH, was caused by the catastrophic floods that afflicted our country in the past year. A plan was to excavate 100,000 tons of coal, but due to rain and floods, the planned activities at the open pit were disabled. As for the strategic tasks, our plan is to stabilize production in this year, and try to achieve the planned quantity to prepare parts of the mine that will raise production of excavated tons of coal. Also, this year we had two very large landslides, in January and February, which marked the beginning of a bad year, but we expect stabilization of the situation this year.
ONASA: How many workers are currently employed in the Coal Mine “Kakanj” and do you plan this year to hire new workers and, eventually, invest in new equipment?
COBO: The RMU “Kakanj” now employs 1,890 workers. We have the FBiH Government’s decision to ban the hiring of new employees, but by the end of the year we will certainly have the need to hire new workers. With part of the funds that the Elektroprivreda BiH has regulated through the recapitalization scheme, we plan to invest in the purchase of the equipment of excavation machine, in a new pit “Begici – Bistrani” we have also provided a security system, and the works being carried out in hydraulic structures of the tunnel “Ribnica” will be continued next year, as well.
ONASA: How much coal was excavated last year and do you have comparative data with the year before, and when it comes to coal excavation, what are your plans this year?
COBO: In 2013, we excavated 1,080,000 tons of coal, and a year later, 1.1 million tons of coal. Our plans are about 1.15 million tons of coal according to the balance that is necessary to deliver to the Power Plant Kakanj.
ONASA: How safe is the Coal Mine “Kakanj” in terms of security aspect of the miners and how do you assess the overall investment in the mines, because we are unfortunately witnessing that the accidents resulting in death have happened in recent years?
COBO: The 50th anniversary of the great mining accident which occurred on June 7, 1965, has been recently marked, where 128 miners were killed. It always reminds us in what sort of environment we work and what can happen to us. When it comes to the safety of miners in the Coal Mine “Kakanj”, the maximum attention is paid, from the equipment that has been purchased and installed, the newest contemporary methane measure stations, a series of controls that already have existed in the mines, but the potential danger in the mines still exist. It is a natural range that disrupts daily, but with the constant controls and precautions the possible hazards can somehow be predicted.
ONASA: Do you think that the miners are adequately rewarded for their work, and do you have information about the situation in other mines in the region both in terms of salary and in terms of labor productivity?
COBO: Our miners are for now adequately rewarded. We currently do not have data on other mines currently, and when they are compared with other budget institutions it could be said that the miners are not adequately rewarded. One should be aware that coal is the only commodity for which price increase the two ministries and the customer are competent, and the standard of the miners depends on the price of commodity. However, there is no dissatisfaction in our mine. We have no information on the salaries in other mines, but the global problem is about retirement, payment of contributions for health insurance and many other problems the miners in the FBiH face every day.
ONASA: Is the laboratory of the Kakanj’s Coal Mine equipped for sampling and chemical analysis of coal?
COBO: The laboratory has been certified by any standards, thus it is certainly adequately equipped for sampling and chemical analysis of coal. Our analyzes of coal are compared with the official analyzes of independent laboratories to provide the information based on which the price of coal is paid to the Power Plant.
ONASA: Which organizational units exist in the Coal Mine “Kakanj” and what are the individual capacities of pits within the mine?
COBO: The Coal Mine “Kakanj” has a capacity of two products, namely the open pit “Vrtliste” which has a planned production of 750,000 tons of coal and the undergorund mine “Haljinici” which has a planned production of 400,000 tons of coal a year. There are also a processing plant, a plant for maintenance and repair of equipment, and a third which is intended to feed the miners. These three plants are combined by the common Mine Directorate. Capacities are, as I mentioned, 1,150,000 tons of coal. If we look at individual capacities, the production is now in favor of the open pit. We hope that with the new pit “Begici – Bistrani”, capacities will raise to a higher level. (end)