The system, ordered in the first quarter of 2008 and to be delivered in the first quarter of 2009, will be used at the Stepnaya mine at a newly developed face.

The mine experiences difficult conditions with seam heights of 0.9–1m, weak floor and roof, and very hard coal. The plow is expected to increase extraction from each working face from 1500 tonnes to 3500t per day.

Bucyrus will also deliver roof supports with its electrohydraulic control system PMC-R, and a face conveyor with a fully automated Gleithobel plow GH 800.

The GH 800 can be used in seams from about 0.9m (35.4in) up to over 2m (78.7in) regardless of the seam inclination and coal hardness.

The Gleithobel plow guide is welded to the face side of the armoured face conveyor. Plow chains up to 38mm (1.5in) can be used, allowing installations up to 2 x 400kW (2 x 540hp).

The plow guide has a height big enough to withstand the reaction forces during the cutting process, yet low enough to not hinder coal flow during the loading process.

Donbass Fuel-Energy Company (DTEK) is the first private energy company in the Ukraine. With 10 mines and annual production of 12.3 million tonnes, the company accounted for 16.4% of Ukrainian coal production in 2007.

DTEK is undertaking a multivector program to modernise the company’s operations as part of a five-year development strategy.

Extraction and coal preparation director Evgenij Romashchins said the company plans to set up an investment program on the modernisation of the coal business by 2011.

In other news, Bucyrus has changed the names of its plows to avoid confusion by customers. Historically, the plows had been named according to the chain type but the OEM will now name the plows according to their maximum installed drive power in kilowatts.

The new names are RHH 800, GH 800 and GH 1600.