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Russia Eyes 300-Meter-Deep Coal Mines for Data Centers Amid Drone Threats to Yandex
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Russia’s Kemerovo region governor, Ilya Seredyuk, proposed on October 15 placing data centers inside exhausted coal mines to reduce construction costs and protect infrastructure from external threats.
Interfax reported that Seredyuk presented the proposal during a session of Russian Energy Week, describing abandoned open-pit mines as potential sites for data centers, computing facilities, and cryptocurrency mining operations.
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"Data centers can be located in exhausted open pits, in the quarries of our coal enterprises," Seredyuk stated. He argued that money otherwise required for land reclamation could instead support new infrastructure.
According to Seredyuk, some former coal pits reach depths of about 300 meters, allowing large structures to be built downward rather than above ground. Water accumulated in mines and underground waterways could also reduce spending on cooling systems, he added.
Seredyuk described protection from external impacts as another advantage. He suggested covering the underground facility with a roof, landscaping the surface, and building a park above it, while presenting the concept as a way to support investment in Russia’s struggling coal sector.
The proposal comes amid growing concerns over the vulnerability of Russia’s digital infrastructure to Ukrainian drone strikes. On October 8, Yandex reportedly suspended operations at its data center in Sasovo, Ryazan region, after a drone attack sparked a fire at the facility.
Russian outlet Verstka also revealed that Yandex had blurred all four of its Cloud data centers on its mapping service, including facilities in Mytishchi, Kaluga, Vladimir, and Sasovo. The company acknowledged an "incident" affecting part of its infrastructure but did not confirm the extent of the damage.
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