KGHM is tapping natural gas to provide a ventilation and cooling/heating solution at its circa-1,300-m-deep GG-1 shaft in Poland.

The copper miner says technical acceptance of this surface air conditioning station is underway.

The investment is of key importance to the company, enabling personnel to work at a depth of around 1,300 m where the average primary temperature of the rock mass is approximately 50°C.

The system, being built by KGHM Group company Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Kopalń PeBeKa S.A., allows the combined production of heat and electricity from natural gas. It also ensures the continuity and reliability of the cooled air supplied to the mine headings and allows elimination of the need to purchase electricity for the plant. This, in turn, helps improve the company’s energy efficiency.

The investment is environmentally friendly and is to bring savings thanks to the use of a tri-generation system: the electricity produced will power the air conditioning station equipment, the recovered heat energy will be used for cooling by absorption units and, in winter, to heat the air flowing into the shaft and the buildings at the GG-1 shaft yard.

The construction of the station began in 2019.

The project involves the implementation of three stages, allowing the production of cooling capacity of 22 MWt, 33 MWt and 40 MWt, respectively, KGHM said.