**3. Post WWII reconstruction and further development**

Reconstruction of industry with the implementation of large-scale projects has started after the liberation of Kryvyi Rih in February 1944. While the miners began to return from evacuation, the government adopted the law stipulating reconstruction of mines and of mining industry's infrastructure. In just in one year, 32 mines were reconstructed and put back into operation. Another 11 large mines and 15 ventilation units were put into operation in 1946 and annual output reached 6 Mt. The plan of reconstruction and development of Kryvyi Rih mines was drawn up aiming to reconstruct and build 35 large and medium-sized mines with a total annual designed capacity of 26 Mt. This plan was successfully fulfilled and by 1950 ore mining exceeded pre-war level.

Initially, to modernize the facilities and improve performance, mostly inexpensive and simple in implementation measures have been applied; however, since the beginning of 1960s, general reconstruction of mines included application of new

**21**

**Figure 4.**

*History and Current State of Mining in the Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Deposit*

technologies and equipment aimed at advanced level of mining operations. This included deepening of more than 40 mines to the depth from 200 to 1250 m with the cumulative deepening by about 28 km. Mines with inclined shaft were also built

Construction of Mining and Processing Plants (MPP), large factories comprehensively encompassing production steps from mining through high grade concentrate (some factories also produced pellets or sinter), manifested beginning of new era of mining development in Kryvyi Rih. Supply of high quality agglomerated iron ore materials also greatly contributed to boost development of

The first attempts to beneficiate ferruginous quartzite were made in 1930s at the experimental plant, and studies in this direction have been continued after WWII, so research and industrial expertise had been already in place when the decision to build the Southern MPP was adopted in 1952, which produced its first concentrate in 1956. The success of the enterprise with annual mining and beneficiation capacity of 9 Mt. facilitated further construction of similar enterprises and increase in production capacity of existing plants. From 1959 through 1966 another four MPPs - Novokryvorizkyi, Northern, Central and Ingulets - were built on different sites in and around the city of Kryvyi Rih. All plants had almost identical structure including open pit mines for iron ore extraction and beneficiation plants to produce concentrate (**Figure 4**). All MPPs except of Ingulets have been also equipped with plants producing sinter or pellets. Production of iron ore in Kryvyi Rih peaked in 1978 at 120 Mt., when in the aftermath of economic stagnation the demand for iron

Kryvyi Rih was also one of the major suppliers of iron ore materials to the Central-East European Countries members of former Council of Mutual Economic

*One of the world largest open pits of Ingulets MPP: Depth 520 m, designed capacity by crude ore - 38 Mt./year.*

Assistance (CMEA). In 1984 Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Hungary initiated the latest large collaborative project of CMEA construction of new iron ore beneficiation plant near Kryvyi Rih to produce for the countries involved the iron ore concentrate from oxidized quartzites with annual designed capacity of 9.1 Mt. of concentrate. Romania alone invested US\$526 m out of US\$1.6bn totally spent. However, following the collapse of communist regimes,

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96120*

during this period.

steelmaking industry.

ore ceased to grow.

the construction has never been finished [6].

*Iron Ores*

1913 level.

16 Mt. of iron ore was left in stocks.

started only in May 1943.

Reconstruction took place in very difficult conditions: famine, ruin, lack of materials, and shortage of workers. Initially, only seven mines were brought into operation. In 1927 as much as 3.5 Mt. of iron ore was mined being just 56% from

Since 1927 the new mining technologies have been introduced replacing the widely used cut and fill stoping method. In 1928 the first "Bucyrus" excavators were supplied from the USA along with 12 scraper winches, 7 conveyers and hammer drills of various manufacturers. The iron ore output in 1930 reached 9.78 Mt., 77% of which was produced by underground mining. Fifteen new mines equipped with an up-to-date machinery were built during the First Five-Year Plan period (1928-1932). Further mechanization of mining operations resulted in drastic increase in labor productivity and by 1940 the annual output reached 19 Mt. [4]. The mining was ceased by August 8th, 1941 - few days before Kryvyi Rih was occupied during World War II. To prevent usage of mines by the invaders, most of the equipment was transported to the mining enterprises of Ural. Units weighting over 100 t were blasted. Most of miners were also evacuated. However, more than

Reconstruction of mining enterprises during German occupation was sluggish, focused mostly on nearby Nikopol manganese ore deposit being essential for the manufacture of advanced steel grades, whereas Kryvyi Rih with its iron ore stock and a huge amount of equipment turned into scrap was used as auxiliary source of iron charge in steelmaking. Demand for iron ore was hindered by slow reconstruction of coal mines in Donetsk deposit and of steelmaking enterprises on the occupied area, destroyed before the Soviet Army retreat. As a result, iron ore mining did not began until the end of 1942 and extraction of high-grade ore was

In June 1942, the removal of ore from the stock began, resulting in usage of 347 kt by the end of the year. In addition to this, from April to September 1943 about 385 kt of ore was mined. As the whole, during the period of occupation 1.78 Mt. of iron ore was taken, out of which 1.4 Mt. from the stocks [5].

30 months the mines and the equipment have been destroyed twice.

**3. Post WWII reconstruction and further development**

1950 ore mining exceeded pre-war level.

In November 1943, anticipating Soviet Army's offensive, the invaders destroyed equipment, transport facilities and workshops of almost all reconstructed enterprises. As the result, out of 77 producing and servicing shafts, 54 shaft mouths were exploded or destroyed completely to the depth from 6 to 15 m. So, within

Reconstruction of industry with the implementation of large-scale projects has started after the liberation of Kryvyi Rih in February 1944. While the miners began to return from evacuation, the government adopted the law stipulating reconstruction of mines and of mining industry's infrastructure. In just in one year, 32 mines were reconstructed and put back into operation. Another 11 large mines and 15 ventilation units were put into operation in 1946 and annual output reached 6 Mt. The plan of reconstruction and development of Kryvyi Rih mines was drawn up aiming to reconstruct and build 35 large and medium-sized mines with a total annual designed capacity of 26 Mt. This plan was successfully fulfilled and by

Initially, to modernize the facilities and improve performance, mostly inexpensive and simple in implementation measures have been applied; however, since the beginning of 1960s, general reconstruction of mines included application of new

**20**

technologies and equipment aimed at advanced level of mining operations. This included deepening of more than 40 mines to the depth from 200 to 1250 m with the cumulative deepening by about 28 km. Mines with inclined shaft were also built during this period.

Construction of Mining and Processing Plants (MPP), large factories comprehensively encompassing production steps from mining through high grade concentrate (some factories also produced pellets or sinter), manifested beginning of new era of mining development in Kryvyi Rih. Supply of high quality agglomerated iron ore materials also greatly contributed to boost development of steelmaking industry.

The first attempts to beneficiate ferruginous quartzite were made in 1930s at the experimental plant, and studies in this direction have been continued after WWII, so research and industrial expertise had been already in place when the decision to build the Southern MPP was adopted in 1952, which produced its first concentrate in 1956. The success of the enterprise with annual mining and beneficiation capacity of 9 Mt. facilitated further construction of similar enterprises and increase in production capacity of existing plants. From 1959 through 1966 another four MPPs - Novokryvorizkyi, Northern, Central and Ingulets - were built on different sites in and around the city of Kryvyi Rih. All plants had almost identical structure including open pit mines for iron ore extraction and beneficiation plants to produce concentrate (**Figure 4**). All MPPs except of Ingulets have been also equipped with plants producing sinter or pellets. Production of iron ore in Kryvyi Rih peaked in 1978 at 120 Mt., when in the aftermath of economic stagnation the demand for iron ore ceased to grow.

Kryvyi Rih was also one of the major suppliers of iron ore materials to the Central-East European Countries members of former Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA). In 1984 Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Hungary initiated the latest large collaborative project of CMEA construction of new iron ore beneficiation plant near Kryvyi Rih to produce for the countries involved the iron ore concentrate from oxidized quartzites with annual designed capacity of 9.1 Mt. of concentrate. Romania alone invested US\$526 m out of US\$1.6bn totally spent. However, following the collapse of communist regimes, the construction has never been finished [6].

**Figure 4.** *One of the world largest open pits of Ingulets MPP: Depth 520 m, designed capacity by crude ore - 38 Mt./year.*
