RF Ministry of Energy set to double coal exports by 2035

The Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation is set to double coal exports by 2035, Deputy Minister of Energy Anatoly Yanovsky, said at the Russian Energy Week International Forum, says the event press center.

According to the speaker, the growth of coal prices and demand attributes to the relevance of the Strategy and Programme for Russia’s Coal Industry Development till 2035.

“The long-term programme for the development of Russia’s coal industry covering the period through 2030 should be updated amid its implementation ahead of schedule …. The revised Strategy for the development of Russia’s coal industry being currently approved by ad hoc bodies will let increase coal production 1.5 times by 2035 – to 668 million tonnes. We also forecast almost a two-fold growth of coal exports from Russia, up to 392 million tonnes”, said Anatoly Yanovsky.

Sergey Mochalnikov, Director of the Department for Coal and Peat Industry of RF Ministry of Energy, key points of the demand for coal will be India, Thailand and Bangladesh. “Australia and, of course, Russia will be the main competitors for the additional demand in the Asian market. Therefore, it is necessary to set ambitious goals for the coal industry of Russia”, he said.

According to Vladimir Tuzov, Strategy Director, SUEK, the revised strategy pays special attention to environmental sustainability. “Focus on technological renovations let the coal industry become comparable with the gas industry in terms of the volume of emissions”, emphasized the expert.

Gennady Alekseyev, General Director of Holding Company “SDS-Ugol”, said that competitiveness of Russian coal lets business structures implement large-scale investment projects. “In 2021, we will put into operation a specialized port, Sukhodol, with annual capacity of 20 million tonnes on the eastern coast of Russia. As early as in 2022, coal transshipment via the terminal is to reach 12 million tonnes. By 2021, on the western coast, in the area of Murmansk port, we will build a specialized loading facility, Lavna, with annual capacity of 18 million tonnes”, said Gennady Alekseyev.

The discussion participants praised the Strategy for the development of Russia’s coal industry till 2035 and agreed to discuss the issues of railway infrastructure which hinders the industry development today.