Russian coal exports to China could double

Feb12, 2011

Russia plans to clinch an intergovernmental agreement with China concerning coal, Russian exports of which to that country could well rise to 20 million tonnes annually from 10 million tonnes last year, Interfax citing Mr Sergei Shmatko Russian Energy Minister as saying.

China is one of the world biggest coal-producers with annual output of roughly 3 billion tonnes. Russia produced a reported little over 320 million tonnes in 2010 exporting about 115 million tonnes.

Mr Georgy Krasnyansky, head of the World Mining Congress Russian organizing committee, said according to figures presented at a Jan meeting of Russia Federation Council on the coal industry, global coal consumption is about 7 billion tonnes and could rise by more than 3 billion tonnes by 2030.

China is expected to meet much of that increased need around 2.4 billion tonnes.

He said that exports of coal from Russia to China are limited by insufficiently developed infrastructure.
(sourced:en.sxcoal.com)