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Coal supplied about 16% ofenergy in Russia in 2024.[1]The prominence ofcoal power in Russia has been declining since 1990, although Russia has among the largestcoal reserves in the world.[2] Russia is the fifth largest consumer of coal in the world and is thesixth largest producer of coal.[3] It is also the world's third largest coal exporter, vying with Australia and Indonesia for markets.[4] It causespollution in Russia andclimate change.[5]
The major areas of coal production are the Moscow, Pechora, Kuznetsk, Kansk-Achinsk, Irkutsk and South Yakutsk basins.[6] Over two-thirds of coal produced in Russia is used domestically.[7]
| Year | Coal Production (Million tons) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 425 | ||||||
| 1990 | 395 | ||||||
| 1995 | 263 | ||||||
| 1998 | 232 | ||||||
| 2000 | 258 | ||||||
| 2003 | 277 | ||||||
| 2004 | 284 | ||||||
| 2005 | 300 | ||||||
| 2006 | 309 | ||||||
| 2008 | 329 | ||||||
| 2009 | 323 | ||||||
| 2010 | 323 | ||||||
| 2011 | 338 | ||||||
| 2012 | 355 | ||||||
| 2013 | 352 | ||||||
| 2014 | 359 | ||||||
| 2015 | 374 | ||||||
| 2016 | 386 | ||||||
| 2017 | 411 | ||||||
| 2018 | 439 | ||||||
| 2019 | 441 | ||||||
| 2020 | 402 | ||||||
| 2021 | 438.4 | ||||||
| 2022 | 443.6 | ||||||
| Sources:[7][8][2][9][10][11][12] | |||||||
Russia is self-sufficient in coal, and consumed 258 million tons of coal in 2023.[7] The percentage of coal in Russian power generation has been declining since 1990, when it was 20.7%, due to growinggas consumption as well as risingnuclear andhydroelectric energy production.[2] In 2022 18% of Russia's electricity was generated from coal,[1] and there was 40GW of installed capacity.[13]
Coal mining is damaging health and the environment.[14] Somegreenhouse gas emissions by Russia are from coal.Carbon capture and storage is not cost effective.[15]
Russia, known for its extensive use of coal, is one of the world's topgreenhouse gas emitters. The country maintains the world's seventh-largest fleet ofcoal-fired power stations, which significantly contribute to its carbon emissions.[17] This reliance on coal is particularly impactful because the vast majority of CO2 emissions in the energy sector come from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, andnatural gas for power generation or to fuel vehicles and machines. Despite Russia's investments inrenewable energy andnuclear power, the persistent dependence on coal challenges its ability to combat climate change effectively. Many of Russia's heavy industries are coal-dependent, further complicating the nation's efforts to achieve its announced goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. It is essential for Russia to reduce its reliance on coal and amplify its investment in green technologies to mitigate its environmental impact and meet its climate targets.[17]
Most Russian coal exports go to Asian countries,[18][19] with China being the largest market with a quarter of exports.[20]Coal power plants in Turkey, such asEmba Hunutlu, which burn imported coal prefer Russian because it is cheaper than imports from other countries.[21]
The significant reliance onrail transport is evident as about 28% of Russian rail cargo was coal as of 2023. However, the limited eastbound rail infrastructure from theKuzbass region, a major coal-mining area, to thePacific Ocean often leads to congestion and delays. This congestion is particularly problematic given the high demand from Asian markets.[22]
To address these challenges, in 2023, the capacity of Russia’s eastern railways was reported at 185 million short tons, with an estimated throughput of 90% (166 million short tons). The Russian government has recognized the need for improvement and plans to increase the capacity of eastbound railways to 231 million short tons by 2030, with an intermediate target of 198 million short tons by 2025. This expansion is crucial to better meet the increasing demand from Asian countries and ensure more efficient delivery of coal exports.[22]
In 2024 theInternational Energy Agency said: “Russian coal trade has faced increasing difficulties in 2024 amid Western sanctions, infrastructure disruptions and profitability issues, with total exports expected to have decreased by 6%.” and “Russian exports saw a significant shift to the east during 2023, following the EU ban on Russian coal imports in 2022. While two‑thirds of Russian exports were directed to Asian markets in 2022, this share surged to about 84% during 2023.”[23]
Russia was sixth in the world in terms ofcoal production. It produced 258 million tons of coal in 2023, roughly 6% of the world's total production.[8][3] As the overallRussian economy shrank in the 1990s following thefall of the Soviet Union and transition to a market economy, coal production decreased as well, falling from a production of 425 million tons in 1988 to 232 million tons in 1998.
Coal production began to rise as the Russian economy rebounded following the1998 financial crisis, but failed to reach Soviet-era production levels as it peaked at 329 million tons in 2008.[7][8] Production once again declined with the effects from the2008 global economic downturn and as world coal prices fell.[24] Coal prices began to recover in 2010 and supported an almost 10 percent rise in Russian production until 2012. The trend continued even as world coal prices fell, as the devaluation of the ruble made Russian coal exports more competitive globally.[24]
In 1947, personal ranks were introduced for the personnel of the coal industry and mining construction, as well as uniforms withrank insignia on thecollar patches of tunics, jackets, great coats, and summer blouses.[25] The personal ranks were abolished in 1954, for the coal industry and mining construction, as well as for most other civilian departments and agencies.[26]
| HIGHER ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT STAFF | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collar patches |  |  |  | |
| Personal ranks | Director general of the coal industry | Director general of mining, first class | Director general of mining, second class | Director general of mining, third class |
| SENIOR ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT STAFF | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collar patches |  |  |  |  |
| Branch | Technical | |||
| Collar patches |  |  |  | |
| Branch | Administrative | |||
| Collar patches |  |  |  |  |
| Branch | Government Mining Inspection | |||
| Personal ranks | Mining director | Mining director, first class | Mining director, second class | Mining director, third class |
| MIDDLE ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT STAFF | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collar patches |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Branch | Technical | |||||
| Collar patches |  |  |  | |||
| Branch | Government Mining Inspection | |||||
| Personal ranks | Mining engineer, first class | Mining engineer, second class | Mining engineer, third class | Mining technician, first class | Mining technician, second class | Mining technician, third class |
| JUNIOR ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT STAFF | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collar patches |  |  |  |  |
| Personal ranks | Junior mining technician | Senior mining master | Mining master, first grade | Mining mastern second grade |
| Topics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sources | |||||||||
| Electricity generation | |||||||||
| Energy companies | |||||||||
| Politics and disputes (before2022 invasion) |
| ||||||||
| Ukraine invasion andsanctions | |||||||||
| Coal types by grade (lowest to highest) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Coal combustion | ||
| Coal mining |
| |
Note: [1] Peat is considered a precursor to coal. Graphite is only technically considered a coal type. | ||
