Validation of local coal supply effectiveness in the hard-to-reach Arctic zones in Yakutia

Abstract

The article discusses shipment of coal to the Arctic regions of Yakutia. High transportation costs increase almost three times the price of one ton of the solid fuel. Coal fields in the Arctic have social rather than commercial value. The key target of local coal mining is enhancement of energy preparedness of population rather than money making. The review of modern methodological approaches to assessing the efficiency of using local coal resources in hard-to-reach areas reveals a wide range of such approaches, their ambiguity and neglect of the Arctic activities peculiarities. The paper presents a new approach for evaluation of small coal opencasts operating in remote Polar regions in Yakutia. The approach is based on the economic and mathematical model of substitution of local coal for imported coal. The technical and economic indicators of a small coal mine is calculated in terms of Krasnorechensky deposit of thermal coalm, and the effect of replacing imported coal by local coal in the Abyi district is evaluated. The results of the study show feasibility of in-house coal supply in the isolated and hard-to-reach areas of the Arctic by means of creation of small coal opencasts, which enhances the energy security and reduces the socio-economic tension.