The coal industry remains a
promising industry globally, despite climate policy and the desire to
transition to green energy. Russia, as one of the largest players in this
market, is reorienting towards cooperation with Asia Pacific countries. This is
the opinion of experts following the results of the session ‘The Coal Industry:
New Challenges and Opportunities’ held as part of Russian Energy Week.
KEY CONCLUSIONS
The coal industry remains a promising sector
“The volume of coal
consumption in the electric and thermal power industry and metallurgy... up
until 2050 is very promising. We can provide all the grades that our colleagues
are ready to take. In the current version of the energy strategy and the coal
industry development programme until 2035, the shift of coal production to the
Far East... has already been described, and the same vector will be set in the
energy strategy 2050 as well,” Petr Bobylev, Director of the Coal Industry
Department, Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.
“Russia is one of the largest
players. Our reserves today amount to 273 billion tonnes. These are industrial
category reserves,” Evgeny Petrov, Head, Federal Agency for Subsoil Use.
“Speaking of coal, we must realize that it is not only
an export-oriented commodity, it is also a socially important commodity,” Elena
Tsyshevskaya, Director of the Fuel and Energy Complex and Chemical Industry
Department, Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation (FAS
Russia).
“Coal
consumption will continue to grow. Not as rapidly as perhaps other sectors.
Climate policy continues to exert significant pressure,” Denis Deryushkin, Head
of Consulting, Fuel and Energy Complex Analytical Center.
“At the moment, there is a
rather large surplus of specialised coal capacities. <...> This is a
great opportunity and prospects for the coal industry in terms of ensuring high
quality supply to the Asia Pacific markets,” Irina Olkhovskaya, General Director,
Universal Logistics; Member of the Presidium, Self-regulating Organization
Union of Railway Operators Market.
PROBLEMS
The need for import substitution and high competition
in the Chinese market
“In China... the competition
in the energy sector will be fierce, because imports of thermal coal to China
will be reduced manifold. <...> We draw this conclusion based on the fact
that a lot of domestic assets will be commissioned in the near future. As for
metallurgy, the drop in expected imports is not so dramatic. The drop will
reach 20–30% maximum. But it is still significant. In other words, the niche
and opportunities for our supply will narrow a lot. China will support local
producers,” Denis Deryushkin, Head of Consulting, Fuel and Energy Complex Analytical
Center.
“The most important problem is
import substitution. <...> In the last two years, we have actually lost
Western markets for coal sales. We were oriented towards Western markets in
terms of purchasing machinery, mechanisms, and mining equipment,” Alexander
Redkin, Chief Executive Officer, SUEK.
Complicated eastward logistics
“The problem is transport. We
believe... that this problem of export to the east, as well as to the
north-west, will still be resolved. The Ministry of Transport, our Ministry,
the Government of the Russian Federation are working very closely on this
issue,” Petr Bobylev, Director of the Coal Industry Department, Ministry of
Energy of the Russian Federation.
“Shifting production and
logistics routes to the east is critical here... Logistics at all our northern
and southern ports reduces supply margins significantly,” Denis Deryushkin,
Head of Consulting, Fuel and Energy Complex Analytical Center.
Lack of staff
“Staff shortage and the
development of training platforms for professional engineering staff is... a
problem we need to address,” Petr Bobylev, Director of the Coal Industry
Department, Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.
“In a number of areas, we
currently see a shortage of human resources, which is also partially solved
through automation, digitalization and the introduction of new technologies,”
Evgeny Petrov, Head, Federal Agency for Subsoil Use.
SOLUTIONS
Introduction of new technologies and import
substitution
“Older equipment can be made
more efficient even on ultra critical units, which will differ by orders of
magnitude,” Denis Deryushkin, Head of Consulting, Fuel and Energy Complex
Analytical Center.
“We would like the Government
of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation
to assist us in issues related to building markets for spare parts, machinery,
and mechanisms,” Alexander Redkin, Chief Executive Officer, SUEK.
Development of transport infrastructure
“The maximum priority on the
part of the state, on the part of Russian Railways, is aimed at the speedy
implementation of the Eastern Polygon development projects – its first and
second stages. The third stage is already under consideration. <…> The
fastest measure to make a big leap is to develop not just port stations, but
some sort of a last railway mile adjacent to the ports. First of all, to the
ports of Primorye,” Irina Olkhovskaya, General Director, Universal Logistics; Member
of the Presidium, Self-regulating Organization Union of Railway Operators
Market.
“There are universal ports
that balance between different cargo flows. <...> For example, coal...
fish cargoes, and containers. And multifunctional ports are a shock absorber
that allows the transport system to adapt and absorb the fluctuations of cargo
flows,” Denis Ilatovsky, Senior Vice President for Public Activities and GR,
Delo Management Company.
For more information, visit
the Roscongress Foundation’s Information and Analytical System at roscongress.org/en.
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