KGHM has determined the exact site for the construction of first of three new shafts

In keeping with unwritten tradition, with a symbolic toss of the hat, Zbigniew Bryja, Vice President of the Management Board for Development, set the site for the new Retków mine shaft. This gesture signifies more than a symbolic start to the works - it indicates the start of one of the Company's most important investments in recent times.

‘We are embarking on a long-term process involving the construction of as many as three mine shafts - GG-2 “Odra”, Retków and Gaworzyce. These are strategic investments that will secure the continuity of production for decades to come and create jobs. As a result, we are also strengthening our position in the mining sector’, said Zbigniew Bryja, Vice President of the Management Board for Development at KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. ‘A hat-toss is that first moment that sends a clear signal to the world that it has begun!’, Zbigniew Bryja added.

Building a shaft is always a huge technological and logistical challenge, but it is also an opportunity for the KGHM staff. The company is facing a period of intensive work and the implementation of modern solutions that will allow it to develop according to the highest industry and safety standards. The main contractors for the task will be PeBeKa S.A. and Cuprum sp. z o.o., both members of the KGHM Group. Research and Development Centre. Coordination of this stage of performance of the investment project is also the responsibility of the Mining Structure Development Department team at the Head Office of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.

‘We will soon be introducing drilling machines here to drill exploratory holes in order to both determine the geological profile and obtain all the data for designing the shaft casing, the sinking technology, all the details that are very important’, concluded Jacek Kulicki, President of the Management Board of PeBeKa S.A.

‘Everything is of key importance to the design, especially the surface facilities. We have to prepare an environmental impact report and obtain environmental permits for the construction of this shaft. After that, we will be able to implement the design solutions in practice’, said Sławomir Fabich, President of the Management Board of KGHM Cuprum sp. z o.o. CB-R.

The entire process associated with the construction of a new mine shaft is spread over a period of over ten years, with expenditures of several billion zlotys, depending on, among other things, the shaft’s purpose, depth and the geological strata present in its planned location.

‘Although the hat-tossing sets the direction primarily in tradition, the final decision is based on concrete data. The location of the shaft is the result of a multi-stage analysis - from geological surveys to deposit development projects. Before the actual sinking begins, the area is criss-crossed by an increasingly dense network of boreholes, thanks to which it is possible to gain a thorough understanding of the layout of the deposit, the hydrogeological conditions and the rock strength parameters’, said Jan Lubaś, Head of the Surface Drilling Works Department at PeBeKa S.A.