Coal mining history of old mine “Wacław” in Ludwikowice Kłodzkie in Lower Silesia

W artykule zaprezentowano rys historyczny górnictwa węgla kamiennego w rejonie dawnej kopalni „Wacław” w Ludwikowicach Kłodzkich. Zakres historyczny obejmuje okres od roku 1662 do chwili obecnej. Opisano również tragiczny wyrzut gazów i skał jaki zdarzył się w kopalni „Wacław” w 1930 r.This article introduces the history of coal mining in the old mine “Wacław” located in the area between Ludwikowice Kłodzkie, Jugów and Sokolec. It discusses the hazards of gas and rock outbursts, with the most tragic one of 1930. Historical range covers the period from 1662 to the present. There was a need to summarize the history of mining there because of the high chances of resumption of coal mining in the area of discussed mine. During the research on the not yet understood problem of gas and rock outburst it turned out that it had a decisive influence on mining. Any resumption of mining could be an unprecedented opportunity to start research in this area. In this report the engineeringtechnical and cartographic materials and documents never published before have been collected in the Archives of the Museum of Coal Mining in Nowa Ruda. At the beginning of 2013 an Australian investor became interested in the geological layer of the mine “Wacław”. In November 2013, under the supervision of a Coal Holding, the company began drilling research boreholes to the depth of 1000m. The documented reserves of geological layer were estimated at about 84 million tons of coal. However, even the initial research showed that the actual amount could be much higher. Consequently, in the middle of 2015, the Coal Holding is going to apply for a license for exploitation of the geological layer. It is estimated that the construction of the mine will cost about 150 million dollars. It will provide employment to about 2,000 people. Annual production is expected to be 1.25 million tons of charcoal in the initial stage of the project. It will then be raised to 2.5 million tones