Russian Deputy Minister of Energy Dmitriy Islamov said that the damage in the Russian coal sector will pass 70 billion rubles (about $ 872 million) in the first quarter of this year.
Islamov, Russian news agency TASS’a said in a statement, because of the negative conditions in the coal sector for this year, they have changed the production target, he said.
Stating that they aim to increase coal production over last year this year, Islamov said, “Now there is the problem of protecting volumes in the coal sector on the agenda. We want to protect the volumes last year.” he said.
Islamov pointed out that the conditions in the coal sector worsening in the first quarter of this year, “According to estimates of the Ministry of Energy, the damage of the coal sector will exceed 70 billion rubles in the first quarter.” He said.
Last year, Russia produced 443.5 million tons of coal and exported 196.2 million tons of coal.
The situation in the Russian coal industry has worsening in recent years due to sanctions and demand for coal.
