Substantiating the criteria for applying selective excavation of coal deposits in the Western Donbass

The provision of the energy system of Ukraine with a stable supply of coal in the long term demands calculation of the capacity of the exploitable deposits. Ukrainian deposits are characterized by insignificant thickness and complicated mining-geological conditions, which significantly complicates the mining process. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and use new energy-efficient technologies of coal mining. The article evaluates the criteria of usefulness of thin layers of deposits in the Western Donbass, which contains 25 bn t of coal, i.e 21.3% of total resources of the country, for processing in selective technology. According to the geologicstructural factor, we distinguished the fields of mines of hydrodynamically “open” and “close” types, the water inflows of which differ by a factor of ten. Taking the example of the mines of the east group, we ascertained the potential of the most promising coal reserves, which are appropriate for mining using selective technology. It was established that in these conditions, selective technology of coal excavation would not only allow a decrease in the ash content of the coal output, but would also prolong the period of the industries` operation. Backfilling of mined-out areas decreases the technogenic load on the underground and surface hydrosphere, decreases the subsidence of the surface and the volume of waste rocks.