Siberian Anthracite Siberian Anthracite Siberian Anthracite () is Russia's largest producer of ultra high grade anthracite. The company, which has its headquarters in Novosibirsk region, produces anthracite from open-strip mines in the Gorlovsky Coal Basin of Western Siberia, where its reserves are estimated over 351 Mt under JORC as of 1, April 2013. Siberian Anthracite's production assets are located in the Iskitim district of Novosibirsk oblast. The company's assets include five coal reserves, two processing facilities and a fleet of transport and other equipment. It is the largest coal company in Novosibirsk region, with more than 2,200 employees. In 2006, the company
Anthracite difficulty of igniting it. This was a particular concern in smelting iron using a blast furnace. With the invention of hot blast in 1828, which used waste heat to preheat combustion air, anthracite became a preferred fuel, accounting for 45% of US pig iron production within 15 years. Anthracite for iron smelting was later displaced by coke. From the late 19th century until the 1950s, anthracite was the most popular fuel for heating homes and other buildings in the northern US, until it was supplanted by oil-burning systems and more recently natural gas systems. Many large public buildings, such as