Current situation

As the administrator of the mining area Trojanovice, OKD maintains the deposit in a so-called preservation mode.

The mining law requires the company to ensure that the deposit does not deteriorate. In particular, OKD drains water from the mine, ventilates it and performs all necessary repairs, at an annual expense of up to CZK 60 million.

Exploration

Adopting any qualified decision on the future of the Frenštát-Trojanovice deposit will require detailed information on the geological conditions, and total quantity and quality of the hard coal and gas. That is why OKD intends to explore the mine.

The permit to conduct exploration (permission for mining activity to complete an exploration of the deposit) is issued by the District Mining Authority. OKD wishes to confirm the premise that the exploration will have no negative effects on the local residents or the environment around Frenštát before applying for the permit.

Before acquiring the permit from the District Mining Authority, it is necessary to obtain a statement from the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic or the Moravian-Silesian Regional Authority on the intention to explore the Frenštát-Trojanovice deposit. Prior to submitting the EIA documentation on the environmental impacts of the project, OKD is required by law to obtain a statement from the Beskydy Landscape Conservation Area Administration and from the affected councils.

details

OKD also plans to present an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study, on which the Ministry of Environment or the Moravian-Silesian Regional Authority will issue a statement. The local administration, relevant authorities and citizens are entitled in accordance with Act No. 200/2001 of Czech Legislation to express their positions on the intention.

The exploration project is planned for the period of four years. Of that time period, one year is estimated for technical preparations, two and half years for the excavation itself, and six months for the final evaluation of the obtained data. In technical terms, a bore of approximately one kilometre will be excavated at the depth of 900 metres beneath an area with no buildings on the surface.

Thanks to the possibility to employ modern technologies and with regard to the location of the deposit, the exploration will have no negative impact on the surroundings. People living in the vicinity will notice no tremors or subsidence. Moreover, the removal of the waste rock from the exploration will not cause any sudden increase in the load of traffic on local roads. In terms of this waste removal, the estimated maximum traffic frequency is five articulated lorries per day.

The Frenštát-Trojanovice deposit is the last known significant deposit of hard coal as a strategic resource in the Czech Republic. That is why the deposit must be protected from any deterioration as well as from any irreversible steps before the state is informed as to the extent and significance of the coal reserves.