Polish Mines Research Articles

Radon (222Rn) as a tracer in natural ventilation efficiency assessment in underground workings – an example of „St John Mine” tourist complex in Krobica (the Sudetes, SW Poland)

The authors characterize the use of 222Rn as an effective tracer of natural ventilation of an underground site where air circulates within a whole system of workings and ventilation intensity (the number of air exchanges in the space) is determined by atmospheric factors. A radon-related database containing results of measurements conducted at various intervals and at different stages of site accessibility was compiled.During 8 months of the calendar year 222Rn activity concentration exceeds the mean annual reference value established by Polish law (300 Bq/m3). These months correspond to periods with low intensity of natural ventilation of the workings and reduced efficiency of air exchange between the site and the atmosphere. They occur in autumn – in the second half of September, in October and November, and in May in spring, and persist for 7 to even 14 days. During these periods, the time spent inside the facility which is considered safe in terms of radiation protection is limited to an average of 6–8 h a day, i.e. from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in October, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in November and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in May. The length of a safe stay in the facility is determined by atmospheric factors, mainly the air and ground temperature.The concentrations of other gases in the atmosphere inside the facility comply with Polish mining regulations.

Impact of Natural Hazards on the Operation of Powered Roof Support in Polish Hard Coal Mines

The powered roof support is mainly used in natural hazard conditions. Natural hazards in Polish mining include methane hazards, gas and rock ejections, coal dust explosions, climate hazards, water hazards, landslides, eruptions, hydrogen sulphide hazards, radioactive substances hazards and rock mass tremors. The latter has a significant impact on the operation of powered roof support. The work analyses rock mass tremor risks in the last ten years. The study showed an intense increase in this hazard, which significantly affects the work safety of people operating machines and devices in mining excavations. The paper takes into consideration surveys carried out among employees working in conditions of rock mass shock risk. The purpose of the study was to obtain information on the safe operation of powered roof supports. The data allowed us to draw conclusions regarding the possibility of increasing work safety regarding rock mass shock risk conditions.

Exploitation of powered roof support in variable mining and geological conditions

The powered roof support is one of the essential elements of the technical equipment of the longwall. It is responsible for the safety of machines and workers. In addition, its function is to move the entire wall complex along the operational progress of the combine. Choosing the proper powered roof support per the conditions prevailing in the wall is an important factor for safe and effective operation. The aim of the study was to assess the mining and geological conditions in Polish hard coal mines in terms of the operation of powered roof support. The author focused mainly on analysing the risk of rock mass shocks, which significantly impact the work of the powered roof support. The work describes the development of the risk of tremors in recent years. The analysis showed an intense increase in this threat. We present an analysis of rock mass shocks registered in Polska Grupa Górnicza S.A. (Polish Mining Group), the main producer of hard coal in Europe. The results presented in this paper illustrate the scale of the risk of rock mass shocks. The current state of the tremor hazard presented in the paper may be helpful information in determining the directions of development and optimisation of the powered roof support.

CFD Analysis of the Forced Airflow and Temperature Distribution in the Air-Conditioned Operator’s Cabin of the Stationary Rock Breaker in Underground Mine under Increasing Heat Flux

The exploitation of natural resources is associated with many natural hazards. Currently, the copper ore deposits exploited in Polish mines are located at a depth of about 1200 m below the surface. The primary temperature of the rocks in the exploited areas reaches 48 ∘C, which constitutes a major source of heat flux to the mine air. However, another important source of heat is the machine plant, which mainly consists of machines powered by diesel engines. Following the results of in situ measurements, boundary conditions for a simulation were determined and a geometric model of the cabin was created. Furthermore, an average human model was created, whose radiative heat transfer was included in the analysis. Three cases were studied: the first covering the current state of thermal conditions, based on the measurement results, and two cases of forecast conditions. In the second case, the temperature of the conditioned air was determined, and in the third, the flow velocity required to ensure thermal comfort was found. The results of the simulation indicated that for the microclimatic conditions established based on the measurements (ambient air temperature in the excavation 35.0 ∘C, air-conditioned airflow 2.4 × 10−2 m3/s, and temperature 10.0 ∘C), the temperature of the air inside the air-conditioned operator’s cabin would be 20.4 ∘C. Based on the personal mean vote (PMV) index, it was concluded that the thermal sensation would range from neutral to slightly cool, which confirmed the legitimacy of the actions taken to reduce the adverse impact of the microclimatic conditions on workers in the workplace. However, for the case of predicted conditions of enhanced heat flux from strata and machinery, resulting in an average ambient temperature increased to 38.0 ∘C, it would be necessary to lower the temperature of air from the air conditioner to 8.00 ∘C or increase the flow rate to 3.14 × 10−2 m3/s to maintain thermal comfort at the same level of PMV index.

An Overview of Possibilities of Increasing the Permissible Speed of Underground Suspended Monorails for Transporting People in the Conditions of Polish Underground Mining

The permissible speed of suspended monorails in underground mines is determined by the internal regulations of each country and depends on the type of transportation. In the case of passenger transportation, the maximal driving speed in Polish underground mining regulations is 2 ms−1. Regarding the higher permitted driving speed in other countries, it is reasonable to consider changes to these regulations that would raise the permitted speed limit. Increasing the permissible travel speed would improve the efficiency of mining operations because of the significant reduction in the inefficient working time of miners traveling on the monorail from the shaft to their place of work. However, at the same time, an increase in the permissible speed of travel results in higher values of forces and accelerations affecting both the crew riding the train and the underground working infrastructure (the suspended route, slings, and arches yielding support). The results of the series of works carried out at the KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology to assess the impact of increasing the speed on the safety of both the crew and the mine infrastructure are presented in this article. For this purpose, several numerical simulations were conducted, considering the emergency braking of the suspended monorail during which the overloads are the greatest. The result of the simulations was the analysis of the effects of driving and emergency braking of the suspended monorail with increased travel speed on the following: the overloads acting on the crew being transported and the forces acting on the suspended monorail route, including the forces in each sling. Next, a potential solution for improving safety was developed. The development of the algorithm for an innovative method of sequential emergency braking of the monorail in the case of passenger transportation was one of the important solutions.

Spatial and temporal trends in δ66Zn and 206Pb/207Pb isotope ratios along a rural transect downwind from the Upper Silesian industrial area: Role of legacy vs. present-day pollution

Transect sampling is an under-exploited tool in isotope studies of atmospheric pollution. Few studies have combined Zn and Pb isotope ratios to investigate whether atmospheric pollution at a receptor site is dominated by a different anthropogenic source of each of these toxic elements. It has been also unclear whether pollution abatement strategies in Central Europe have already resulted in regionally well-mixed background isotope signature of atmospheric Zn and Pb. Zinc and lead isotope ratios were determined in snow collected along a rural transect downwind from the Upper Silesian industrial area (southern Poland). Spatial and temporal gradients in δ66Zn and 206Pb/207Pb ratios at four sites were compared with those of ore and coal collected in eight Czech and Polish mining districts situated at distances of up to 500 km. Snow pollution was extremely high 8 km from Olkusz in 2011 (1670 μg Zn L−1; 240 μg Pb L−1), sharply decreased between 2011 and 2018, and remained low in 2019–2021. Snow pollution was lower at sites situated 28–68 km from Olkusz. Across study sites, mean δ66Zn and 206Pb/207Pb ratios of snow were −0.13‰ and 1.155, respectively. With an increasing distance from Olkusz, the δ66Zn values first increased and then decreased, while the 206Pb/207Pb ratios first decreased and then increased. The δ66Zn values in snow plotted closer to those of Upper Silesian ores (−0.20‰) than to the δ66Zn values of Upper Silesian stone coal (0.52‰), showing predominance of smelter-derived over power-plant derived Zn pollution. The 206Pb/207Pb ratios of Upper Silesian coal (1.171) and Upper Silesian ores (1.180) were higher compared to those of snow. A206Pb/207Pb vs.208Pb/207Pb plot identified legacy pollution from leaded gasoline as the low-radiogenic mixing end-member. Across the transect sites, only the last sampling campaign exhibited a high degree of isotope homogenization for both Zn and Pb.

Development of Longwall Shearers’ Haulage Systems as an Alternative to the Eicotrack System Used Nowadays

Longwall shearers’ haulage system of the Eicotrack type, used most often nowadays, is presented in this article. Its disadvantages, causing problems with a correct operation of mechanized longwall shearer systems, are discussed. The concept of the innovative Flextrack, which should reduce the occurrence of the disadvantages mentioned above, is described. A course and research results, connected with rig tests of the Flextrack haulage system functionality, are presented. Measurement results of wear and stresses, obtained for the Eicotrack and Flextrack haulage systems, are compared and presented. Based on an analysis of the obtained results, a modified version of the Komtrack haulage system was suggested and manufactured. This haulage system was tested in the field conditions, similar to underground conditions in a mine coal longwall. The obtained results confirmed its full functionality and lack of problems experienced in the case of the Eicotrack and Flextrack systems. At present, the Komtrack system is tested in a coal longwall in Piast coal mine, where comparative tests with the Eicotrack system are conducted. The big part of the results presented in this article was developed as part of the research project KOMTRACK jointly implemented by KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology, AGH University of Science and Technology, Łukasiewicz Research Network—Cracow Institute of Technology, Specodlew Innovative Foundry Company and Polish Mining Group Inc., co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (Contract No. POIR.04.01.04-00-0068/17).

Changes in the Polish Coal Sector Economic Situation with the Background of the European Union Energy Security and Eco-Efficiency Policy

Poland is a big user of fossil fuels for electricity and heat production. The most important fossil fuel is hard, brown coal and the Polish energy system is based on this source. However, the world has begun to decarbonize the climate and reduce the carbon dioxide and methane which are the main gasses impacting climate change. The main aim of this paper was to recognize changes in Polish coal sector. We focused our attention to the economic situation and employment in coal sector in Poland. The time rage included 1989–2020 and the prognosis 2021–2025. The Polish coal sector faced dramatic changes. The number of hard coal mines decreased from 70 in 1990 to 21 in 2020. In the same timeframe, the prices for hard coal increased from 12.37 PLN/dt to 313.27 PLN/dt. The employment decreased from more than 350 thousand to less than 100 thousand people in hard coal mines. The decrease changes are the effect of strict policies of the European Union. The economic situation of Polish hard coal mines is rather poor. Polish mines achieved negative economic results due to the effect of poor management. We used advanced statistics, including the Augmented Dickey–Fuller test (ADF), to measure the stationarity of analyzed time series. We also used Generalized AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models and conducted a prognosis. Our research proved that the time series describing the hard coal economic situation were not stationary. The Generalized AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models confirmed big changes in Polish coal sector economic results. The elaborated prognosis of variables proved that the price of hard coal will increase in 2021–2025. Moreover, the economic situation will be worse. Our analysis confirmed that global trends of the hard coal sector were influenced by the European Union (EU) energy policy and closing down the mines. The economic situation of Polish hard coal sector worsened.

Mining dust as a health threat to employees of extraction departments of coal mines

Mining dust as a health threat to employees of extraction departments of coal mines

Speech recognition and enhancement in underground mines for the use of smart voice assistants

Smart voice assistants are being used progressively in new fields and environments. This trend has also reached Polish underground mines, where the first attempts to implement solutions of this type are already being executed. Unfortunately, the underground mine environment places great demands on the operation of such assistants. This problem is even greater when we take into account less popular and more difficult languages like Polish. In this article, we approach the problem of noise in the underground mine environment and the correct transmission of speech to text by a smart voice assistant. In particular, we researched the possibility of using various algorithms for speech enhancement. This was achieved by taking a series of recordings in an underground environment, during which a voice assistant was used in a standardized way by different people. This voice material was then denoised using 10 different algorithms, converted to text, and evaluated. Such a comparison showed that only one of the chosen methods influenced the speech-to-text solution in a positive way, showing that current algorithms are not sufficient for harsh industrial environments similar to underground mines.

Preface

The 5th Polish Mining Congress was successfully held between 6th and 7th September 2022 at the International Fair EXPO Katowice (Poland). This event is one of the largest mining conferences organized every two-three years to gather industry, academia and policy-makers together. This year’s congress was held under the slogan:Mining industry of the 21st century—how to extract and process mineral and energy resources while protecting the climate and the environment?For the first time, the congress was accompanying International Fair EXPO KATOWICE The Mining, Energy and Metallurgy Industry Fair. The meeting was a place of exchange of ideas and views on the future of coal industry in Poland. Over 200 delegates were present at 8 scientific sessions with the total number of 49 presentations. Thematic sessions were focused on the future development of the mining industry, electrification and automation in mining industry, new trends in underground construction, transport and mechanization, Coalbed Methane as a resource and threat, mine ventilation and safety in mining, environmental protection and rehabilitation of mining areas as well as circular economy in mining.The main partner of the conference was KGHM Polska Miedź SA – leader in copper and silver production. Other important industrial partners were: CARBOSPEC, FAMUR SA. FASING SA, Research and Supervisory Centre of Underground Mining, CEZ Group, DAMEL, Central Mine Rescue Station in Bytom and CTL Maczki-Bór S.A.The conference series is a result of selection of the most important articles. All articles were peer reviewed through process administrated by the Editors.List of Organizing committee, Scientific Committee are available in this Pdf.

Biomass and Coal Ash Sintering—Thermodynamic Equilibrium Modeling versus Pressure Drop Test and Mechanical Test

The problem of biomass combustion and co-combustion is a particularly important aspect of many district heating systems, where the use of biomass makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions. The present article is a continuation of previous studies of the behavior of the mineral matter of selected fuels during the sintering processes. Three biomasses were studied: wheat straw, barley straw and rye straw, as well as two coals from Polish mines: bituminous coal and lignite. The study included ultimate and proximate analyses and oxide analysis. On the basis of the oxide analysis and using FactSage 8.0. software, the sintering process of ash from selected fuels was simulated. In particular, the content of the slag phase as well as the values of the specific heat cp and density were determined without considering the gas phase. The obtained results were compared with the results of measurements of fracture stress (mechanical method) and pressure drop (pressure drop test) determined during the sintering process of the ash samples. The study showed that there is a fairly pronounced correlation between the sintering temperatures determined by the mechanical and pressure drop test and the physical properties of the ashes, such as density and heat capacity, and chemical properties, i.e., the content of the slag phase. The completed research work indicates and confirms that nonstandard methods of studying ash sintering temperatures (mechanical and pressure drop test) are very promising because they directly reflect the behavior of coals and biofuels in combustion systems.

Accident rate in Polish mining. Current status and forecast

The article presents the analysis of accidents at work in the Polish mining industry in the period from 2010 to 2020 with forecasts for the next three years. The study consists of two parts. The first part deals with methods of analysing working conditions in the mining industry. A key element of the literature review is the econometric methods that have been used by researchers to analyse accidents at work in mining. In the empirical part (the second part of the paper), the authors present the results of their own econometric analysis. The authors use econometric models in predicting the indicator (W*) – total number of people injured in accidents per thousand employees. Testing classical econometric models, the authors obtained the best forecasts (based on the obtained forecast errors) in the Winters' model and the Brown's model. The accident at work in mining is an important topic for research because the branch of industry belongs to the branch with hard work. Health and safety in mines has a great importance for the sake of specific conditions in that kind of industry. Continuous analysis of accidents at work is necessary in evaluation of system effectiveness of health and safety system in all mines. Forecasting of accident at work can help miners to build safety in mines

Declaration of the Sustainable Development Goals of Mining Companies and the Effect of Their Activities in Selected Areas

The article addresses the issues of sustainable development in relation to a selected group of mining companies. The main objective of the article was to verify the companies’ declarations on the convergence of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the assessment of their actual actions. In order to achieve this objective, the authors hypothesized and adopted, among others, a multi-stage logical thinking-based methodology. In addition, several research methods were used, i.e., a review of regulations and scientific articles, a qualitative literature review—extracting and collecting information, developing a categorization framework, and a comparative method based on a case study. The study started with extracting and collecting social and environmental information disclosed by Polish mining companies at the level of declaring SDGs targets (KGHM, LW Bogdanka, and JSW). Sourced from reports and company statements. In the next step, a leader (KGHM) was selected, and a comparison was made with a global enterprise (Barrick Gold), according to the adopted categorization framework for social initiatives. Common areas of both SDGs declarations and actions for these entities were identified, and measures of their implementation were suggested. Two main metrics were proposed for the social area, i.e., health and safety in relation to the financial performance of the companies and diversity in management and supervisory bodies. The role and importance of the prioritization of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) disclosures by the industry players are indicated.

Deep-lying sites of the house-cricket Acheta domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) in coal mines in Upper Silesia (Poland)

The report provides information about the occurrence of the house-cricket Acheta domesticus in 2021 in the area of the hard coal mines "Budryk" (Ornontowice) and "Pniówek" (Pawłowice). The species was recorded at depths of 900, 1050 and 1290 m ("Budryk") and 1050 m beneath the surface ("Pniówek"). The information provided testifies high adaptability of the species and encourages its search in other Polish mines.

Analysis of the application of methane-bearing capacity test methods in the conditions of Polish mining

The methane hazard is one of the natural hazards occurring in hard coal mining. The content of natural methane in hard coal seams, the so-called methane-bearing capacity, is one of the key parameters that allow for proper assessment of the methane hazard and the state of the threat of gas and rock outbursts. For safety purposes, there is a constant need to improve the methods for the determination of this parameter. In the conditions of Polish mining, the method used for methane-bearing capacity determination is the direct drill cuttings method. This paper contains a comparative study presenting three different methods of methane-bearing capacity determination. Tests were conducted using two direct methods (the drill cuttings method and the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) method), and the indirect method based on the desorption intensity index. On the basis of the obtained test results, it was found that the results obtained with the USBM method were slightly higher than those obtained with the direct drill cuttings method. Gas losses, an important element affecting the final value of the assay, were also analysed. This comparative study will evaluate the validity and applicability of the above methods under specific conditions in hard coal mining.

Identification of the Dynamic Properties of the Coal Flotation Process as a Control Object with the Use of the Kalman Filter

For various sorts of hard coal, enrichment by flotation is used for feed consisting of grains smaller than 0.5 mm. Regarding process automation, coal flotation is a multidimensional, dynamic nonlinear object of control, for which the main control signal is the flow rate of the flotation agent. Typically, in Polish coal-processing facilities the monitoring and control systems of the flotation process can only measure the parameter of the waste quality (content of ash in flotation tailings). This naturally becomes an output signal, enabling an indirect assessment of the ongoing process. Therefore, knowledge of the dynamic properties of the flotation process, analysed as an object with one control input (the flow rate of the flotation agent) and with one output for measuring (content of ash in flotation tailings) may be material in designing automatic control systems for this operation. It is important to use an appropriate identification method when developing a model of the dynamics of the flotation process, especially if the model parameters are to be determined on an ongoing basis. This article discusses the research method and presents the results of applying the method of identifying the dynamic properties of the coal flotation process with the use of the Kalman filter. We carried out a comparative analysis of the results obtained by this method based on the Kalman algorithm and the method of least squares, taken as the reference method. The presented parameters of the dynamic models were calculated based on actual data obtained from industrial tests conducted at the coal-processing plant at one of the Polish mines. It was demonstrated that, for control purposes, the Kalman algorithm can be successfully applied in identification of the coal flotation process. This is due to the fact that it gives satisfactory results in relation to the adopted reference method despite the fact that it is a recursive algorithm.

New attempt of the implementation of CCS technology in Poland

After 2013 when the PGE Bełchatów demo CCS project was canceled and the EU CCS directive implemented into Polish law (in a way generally obstructing the development of CCS projects in Poland), no significant effects in that field have occurred till 2021. In 2021 the draft of a new law on change of Polish geological and mining law and some other laws (Polish CCS law) was prepared and is being proceeded – it is expected to be accepted soon by the Council of Ministers and then submitted to the Parliament. Generally, the law is to facilitate the development of CCUS technologies in Poland (commercial projects, both onshore and offshore storage in saline aquifers and depleted/depleting hydrocarbon fields – including EHR, no exploration permits/concessions, just storage permits as required by the directive, transport modes). Concurrently, in August/September 2021 Polish Minister of Climate and Environment appointed an advisory board – the Team on Development of CCUS technologies, where representatives of government, industry and research organizations were invited to facilitate CCUS technologies implementation in Poland. One of the Team's tasks resulted in the development of several prefeasibility studies on the full CCS value chain of newly constructed power and CHP blocks (mainly gas fired) carried out by a consortium led by AGH. Similar studies are being developed or considered in the case of other industry sectors, especially cement and chemical plants. In the storage part of these studies, the national project “Assessment of formations and structures for CO2 geological storage including monitoring plans” (completed in 2012/2013 by a consortium led by PGI-NRI) and its update completed upon request of the Ministry in 2021 have been utilized. In the case of the complete CCS value chain, results of pre-feasibility studies carried out in 2009-2013, together with assumptions and results of the new AGH-important project CCUS.pl initiated in May 2021, have been utilized. Several other international projects (financed by Norway Funds) oriented on CCS/CCS have been started (e.g., Agastor, SltPreCO2 project) in Poland. These developments might contribute to creating Polish CCS cluster (or clusters) where various emission sources and transport and storage infrastructure will be integrated, possibly within a decade.

Conversion of a pulverized coal boiler into a torrefied biomass boiler

The aim of the work is to analyze the possibility of converting a pulverized coal (PC) type OP650 boiler to combustion of 100% biomass in the form of torrefied PKS (Palm Kernel Shell). The replacement of hard coal with torrefied biomass in a PC boiler practically eliminates CO2 emissions. It also reduces the problem of coal shortages in the current political situation in Europe. However, it is necessary to solve the problems of changing the fouling of the boiler, grinding new fuel in coal mills, changing NOx emissions, and changing the exhaust gas dew point. We do not deal with torrefaction, assuming that this problem is technically solved and that such fuel can be purchased. The assessment of the boiler conversion to new fuel was based on the measurements of the boiler in its current state during combustion of coal dust. The HVT (temperature measurement by means of high-velocity thermocouple) measurement of temperature was carried out at points in the area of superheaters, on the rear wall and on one of the sidewalls using a water-cooled aspiration probe. The measurements of the growth rate of high-temperature deposits in the area of platen superheater tubes were also performed. On their basis, a 0-dimensional model of the boiler was created and the risk of slagging after replacing coal with torrefied biomass was assessed. Slagging and fouling tendency of heating surfaces during coal and PKS combustion were compared. The final evaluation of the possibility of converting the OP 650 boiler to combustion of 100% biomass in the form of torrefied PKS was performed. With the same ash fouling of the boiler as for coal, replacing coal with a fuel with a slightly lower calorific value and much lower humidity and ash content, such as torrefied PKS, causes a slight increase in the temperature of live and reheat steam, which in the conditions of the given calculation example gives practically nominal values of these temperatures. In the variant simulating increased fouling of the boiler during biomass combustion, the flue gas temperatures increase even more, which may lead to a strong increase in slagging and fouling. Calculations for wet PKS with significant fouling of the furnace still show high flue gas temperatures in the high temperature area of the boiler. In addition, for a fuel with such characteristics, the risk of slagging is very high. To mitigate the possible operating problems, a doping the PKS with Dunino halloysite from the Polish mine Dunino (DH) was considered. This aluminosilicate is recommended to protect against slagging and fouling. Important advantage of DH is the reduction of chlorine corrosion of the boiler surfaces. The results of the calculations show that during the combustion of PKS, the temperature of the flue gas outlet is higher than during the combustion of coal.

Challenges of the polish coal mining industry on its way to innovative and sustainable development

This paper refers to the current energy situation in the European Union (EU) countries with a particular focus on energy produced from renewable energy sources and coal – sources that provide opportunities for balancing the energy of the region. The strengths and weaknesses of coal mining in Poland were also identified, along with its opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Innovative and sustainable development based on the Triple Helix Model (THM), as well as the Open innovation (OI) concept and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles were identified as opportunities for its sustainable development. The combination of these solutions should enable sustainable development of the industry, preserving its economic and social importance and reducing its negative impact on the environment. The use of new clean technologies in the operation and combustion of coal should reduce emissions of harmful substances into the environment. Intensive and government-supported cooperation between the scientific and research community and industry should significantly facilitate these processes. Another aspect important for the changes to be introduced is the social factor, for which the current situation represents an opportunity to preserve jobs in the mining industry, but also a challenge for its sustainable development. These seemingly mutually exclusive elements should form the basis of a new opening for Polish and European mining as an innovative industry based on knowledge and preserving the basic principles of ESG. The paper also outlines the most significant challenges facing the Polish mining industry on its way to innovative development. The article provides a new and relevant to the current reality perspective on the Polish mining industry in the context of the entire EU, for which the current geopolitical situation forces the necessity of setting a new direction of development. The geopolitical changes that have recently taken place in the global economy such as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic and the armed conflict within Ukraine have caused very great turbulence in the energy market. Enthusiasm and uncritical adoption of green concepts in the EU has caused, along with the reduction of gas and coal imports from Russia, turbulence in the energy market. This situation has created a great opportunity for the development of the mining industry in Poland, which has not yet managed, following the example of other EU countries, to extinguish the industry. In order to take advantage of this opportunity and obtain a permanent place in the energy mix in the EU, it is necessary to rapidly develop the mining industry in a sustainable manner based on innovative solutions.