Russian coal industry inches towards profitability

摘要

Russian coal mining company RosUgleSbyt has achieved profitability-albeit weak-for the first time this decade, and production has increased.Under Russia's energy strategy to 2020, coal should provide 55 percent of Russia's energy, but the proportion has only just passed the 30 percent mark. However, the industry has shown some positive signs. Government support has now dropped from 1.4 percent of GDP to 0.13 percent, while productivity is up 75 percent, to 127 mt per worker per month.Total production in the first half of 2001 was 135 million mt, compared to 232.2 million mt in the whole of 1998. Most of the increase is from private enterprises, who now meet more than 60 percent of Russian domestic coal demand and provide nearly 80 percent of the country's coal exports.