On January 18, the annual meeting of the Ministry of Education Engineering Research Center for Green and Intelligent Mining of Thick Coal Seams was held in Room 200 of the No.1 Office Building.

The Ministry of Education approved the establishment of the Engineering Research Center for Green and Intelligent Mining of Thick Coal Seams in April 2023.

The Engineering Research Center focuses on five research directions: theory and key technologies of thick coal seam mining, strata movement and surrounding rock control in thick coal seam mining, green and loss-reducing mining of thick coal seams, intelligent mining equipment for thick coal seams, and intelligent identification and control of coal-gangue in fully mechanized top-coal caving mining. Through five years of construction, the center strives to make breakthroughs in technologies such as automatic identification and control of coal-gangue in fully mechanized top-coal caving mining of thick coal seams, intelligent perception in thick coal seam mining, autonomous control equipment and technologies, and key technologies for backfill mining and solid waste disposal. It also aims to develop and manufacture multiple sets of equipment and instruments, including intelligent video image processors, to solve engineering and technical problems in green and intelligent mining of thick coal seams, promote high-quality development of the coal industry, and ensure national energy security.