Improving the competitive position of Community coal
1. Research projects shall aim to reduce the total costs of mining production, improve the quality of the products and reduce the costs of using coal. Research projects shall encompass the entire coal production chain as follows:
(a)
modern techniques for surveying deposits;
(b)
integrated mine planning;
(c)
highly efficient, largely automated excavation and new and existing mining technologies corresponding to the geological characteristics of European hard coal deposits;
(d)
appropriate support technologies;
(e)
transport systems;
(f)
power supply services, communication and information, transmission, monitoring and process control systems;
(g)
coal preparation techniques, oriented to the needs of the consumer markets;
(h)
coal conversion;
(i)
coal combustion.
2. Research projects shall also aim to achieve scientific and technological progress with a view to gaining a better understanding of the behaviour and control of deposits in relation to rock pressure, gas emissions, the risk of explosion, ventilation and all other factors affecting mining operations. Research projects with these objectives shall present the prospect of results applicable in the short or medium term to a substantial part of Community production.
3. Preference shall be given to projects that promote at least one of the following:
(a)
integration of individual techniques in systems and methods and the development of integrated mining methods;
(b)
substantial reduction of production costs;
(c)
benefits in terms of mine safety and the environment.
Health and safety in mines
Issues concerning mine safety, including gas control, ventilation and air-conditioning with a view to improving underground working conditions and occupational health and safety as well as environmental issues shall also be taken into account in the projects covering the activities referred to in Article 4(1)(a) to (f).
Efficient protection of the environment and improvement of the use of coal as a clean energy source
1. Research projects shall seek to minimise the impact of mining operations and the use of coal in the Community on the atmosphere, water and the surface within the framework of an integrated management strategy with respect to pollution. As the Community coal industry is undergoing constant restructuring, the research shall also be geared towards minimising the environmental impact of underground mines destined for closure.
2. Preference shall be given to projects that envisage one or more of the following:
(a)
a reduction in emissions from coal utilisation, including capture and storage of CO 2 ;
(b)
a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, in particular methane, from coal deposits;
(c)
the return to the mine of mining waste, fly ash and desulphurisation products, accompanied, where relevant, by other forms of waste;
(d)
the refurbishment of waste heaps and the industrial use of residues from coal production and consumption;
(e)
the protection of water tables and the purification of mine drainage water;
(f)
a reduction in the environmental impact of installations which mainly use Community coal and lignite;
(g)
the protection of surface installations against the effects of subsidence in the short and long term.
Management of external dependence on energy supply
Research projects shall relate to the prospects for long-term energy supply and concern the upgrading, in economic, energy-related and environmental terms, of coal deposits which cannot be extracted economically by conventional mining techniques. Projects may include studies, the definition of strategies, fundamental and applied research and the testing of innovative techniques which offer prospects for the upgrading of Community coal resources.
Preference shall be given to projects integrating complementary techniques such as the adsorption of methane or carbon dioxide, coal bed methane extraction and underground coal gasification.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
