Coal mining in the world by years. The largest coal deposits in Russia, the most significant basins for the country's economy
Moscow, August 27 - Vesti.Ekonomika. Coal is key view fuel in the global energy sector. It accounts for almost 40% of the world's electricity production. Thus, it is coal that is the leading source of electricity.
Coal dominates the global energy arena due to resource abundance, affordability and widespread worldwide.
Coal reserves are estimated at 869 billion tons at the current level of production. This means that there should be enough coal for almost 115 years.
It is noted that significant coal reserves are located in Asia and South Africa.
Despite the fact that recently there has been more and more talk about renewable energy sources and linking the use of coal with global change climate, it is coal that accounts for the largest increase in energy consumption in last years.
Almost 90% of all world coal is mined by 10 countries of the world. Below we describe the most major countries mining coal.
10. Ukraine
In 2013, coal production in Ukraine amounted to about 64.976 million tons. However, to date, coal production has declined significantly due to the armed conflict in the country, which will especially affect the eastern regions.
It is also important to note the fact that statistics on coal production in the country may not always be unambiguous, depending on how data on the LPR and DPR, which are important coal-producing regions, are taken into account or not.
In 2017, 34.916 million tons of coal were mined in Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Energy and Coal of Ukraine. Recall that in 2016 Ukraine increased coal production by 2.82% to 40.86 million tons.
Thus, in 2017, coal production in Ukraine decreased by 14.5%.
The gap from the plan for 2017 of 35.322 million tons was 1.1%.
Approximately the same figures are given by BP statistics: according to their data, in 2017 Ukraine produced 34.375 million tons.
9. Colombia
In 2013, the level of coal production in Colombia reached 85.5 million tons.
This was 4% below the target level of 89 million tons. Coal exports were estimated at 94.3%.
The National Mining Agency announced an 18% increase in mining.
8. Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan ranks 8th in coal production. As of December 2012, production here amounted to 116.6 million tons.
In terms of consumption, Kazakhstan ranks 12th, with coal accounting for 85% of all power plant capacity.
Estimated coal reserves in the country are about 33.6 billion tons. There are more than 400 coal mines in Kazakhstan.
7. South Africa
South Africa produces about 260 million tons, thus, the country ranks 7th in terms of production.
In addition, the country ranks 6th among the largest coal exporters in the world.
As of 2012, coal exports amounted to 74 million tons.
South Africa supplies coal mainly to European countries, China and India.
It is noted that coal accounts for almost 90% of South Africa's electricity.
6. Russia
Russia ranks 6th in terms of coal production.
According to 2012 data, production amounted to 354.8 million tons, of which 80% is thermal coal, and the rest is coking coal.
Russia also ranks 5th in terms of coal consumption.
If we talk about exports, then, according to 2012 data, the country exported 134 million tons, becoming the third largest exporter in the world.
5. Indonesia
Indonesia ranks 5th in coal production with 386 million tons.
Indonesia and Australia for a long time were the main competitors in coal production with almost identical production figures.
However, in 2011, Indonesia overtook Australia, and now Australia leads the region.
Coal accounts for 44% of Indonesia's electricity.
According to 2012 statistics, the country's coal reserves amount to 5.5 billion tons.
4. Australia
Australia's coal production reached 413 million tonnes in 2013, making the country the fourth largest in the world.
Australia exports about 90% of its coal, occupying one of the leading places in the world in terms of exports.
In 2012, coal exports amounted to 384 million tons. Australia's coal reserves are estimated at 76.4 billion tons.
3. India
Coal production in India reaches almost 605 million tons, thus, this country is in 3rd place in terms of coal production in the world.
In addition, India ranks third in terms of coal consumption in the world.
India is also one of the three largest importers of coal - about 160 million tons per year. It is overtaken only by China and Japan.
68% of the country's electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants.
2. USA
Coal production in the United States, according to data for 2012-2013, amounted to 922 million tons, which is approximately 13% of the global level of coal production.
It is the second largest producer and also the second largest consumer coal in the world.
Thus, coal consumption in the United States is approximately 11% of the global level.
Almost 37% of the electricity in the country is generated by coal-fired power plants. US reserves are approximately 237 billion tons.
1. China
China has been the largest coal-producing country in the world for almost thirty years.
As of 2013, the level of coal production was almost 3.7 billion tons, which is 47% of the global coal output.
The country also consumes more than half of the world's consumption.
In terms of reserves, the country ranks 3rd - 114.5 billion tons as of December 2012.
The editors of "K" represent the top ten countries with the largest explored coal reserves.
More than 90% of the total explored world coal reserves are in 10 countries.
1. USA
In first place among them is the United States with the world's largest proven reserves of coal of all types, accounting for more than a quarter (26.6%) of the world's reserves. The total reserves of hard and brown coal in the country are estimated at 237,295 million tons. They can last for about 245 years. Also, the USA is the second country in coal production with a share of about 12% of world production.
2. Russian Federation
The second largest volume of coal reserves is concentrated in Russia. It is 157,010 million tons, which is more than 17% of the total world reserves. However, most of them are not suitable for development, since they are located in the permafrost region in Siberia. At the same time, explored reserves will last more than 500 years.
3. China
China closes the top three in explored coal reserves. Its subsoil contains 114,500 million tons of coal, or 12.8% of the total world volume. China is also the world's largest coal producer, accounting for more than 46% of fossil fuel production.
4. Australia
In fourth place was Australia, whose reserves amount to 76,400 million tons, or 8.6% of the world's reserves. The country is also the world's largest exporter of coal. It accounts for about 30% of sea transportation of coal. Half of coal exports go to Japan, the rest goes to the EU countries and the Asia-Pacific region, mainly to the UK and the Netherlands.
5. India
The fifth largest amount of proven reserves is in India. This is 60,600 million tons or 6.8% of the world's proven reserves. India is also in third place after China and the United States in terms of coal production (7.7% of global production).
6. Germany
The next country in the ranking was Germany with 40,548 million tons of proven coal reserves (4.5% of world reserves). However, only two hard coal mines are currently operating in Germany, which are scheduled to close in 2018. The main reasons for the country's refusal of coal are the low profitability of underground mining and the transition to renewable energy sources.
7. Ukraine
Ukraine with 33,873 million tons of proven reserves (3.8% of world reserves) is in seventh place in the ranking. However, in terms of industrial production coal in the country has been experiencing a strong decline for several years due to the reduction of sales markets, lack of funding and war in the east of the country.
8. Kazakhstan
Our Republic settled in eighth place in the ranking with 33,600 million tons (3.8% of world reserves). This is enough for more than 300 years. At the same time, all the main segments of the coal industry are represented in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The extraction and use of thermal coal has received special development.
9. South Africa
In the Republic of South Africa, explored coal reserves amount to 30,156 million tons (3.4% of world reserves). At the same time, due to the lack of oil in the country, about 80% of all electricity is generated precisely by burning coal.
10. Indonesia
Indonesia has 28,017 million tons of coal (3.1% of world reserves). Moreover, 44.9% of electricity produced in the country is generated using coal.
Read also the countries importing the largest volumes of Kazakh coal.
What are the main problems of Kazakhstani fintech?
It may take at least two or three years for the fintech market to form into some kind of understandable “substance”, experts say
The fintech market of Kazakhstan will continue to develop not only in the direction of lending, but universal declaration can also provide considerable support to the industry. Experts believe that it is time to expand the understanding of the term itself.
The concept of "fintech" in Kazakhstan continues to be associated primarily with online lending services. Little by little, the niche is filled by services of payments, transfers and electronic money. But in order for the market to form into some kind of understandable “substance”, it may take at least two to three years, experts say. “There is no fintech that would represent original ideas, innovative fintech ideas in the full sense of the word, which could be developed not only in Kazakhstan, but also beyond its borders. They probably don’t exist on the market, and this is the saddest thing that can be said about our fintech,” this opinion was previously expressed by the managing director of Centras Rashid Dyusembaev.
What slows down fintech?
Although, on the one hand, the view is rather harsh, on the other hand, there is no need to say that fintech as an industry in Kazakhstan certainly exists. However, there are some nuances regarding the very definition of the term. “If we talk about that fintech, as it is perceived today in the United States or, roughly speaking, in other markets, then the term “fintech” still means fintech startups, and this is not enough in Kazakhstan now,” says the chief startup specialist AIFC fintech hub Taras Volobuev.
This is where the main problem lies, which does not move the fintech and fintech startups market forward. “If we look at startups now, they are mostly young IT people, mostly programmers. But in fact, the fintech environment will move in our country when a more mature audience begins to engage in fintech projects,” Mr. Dyusembaev believes.
Taras Volobuev also says that fintech startups are still the work of experienced people who are familiar with the industry from the inside. In addition, he notes the lack of entrepreneurial initiative as a factor in Kazakhstan. But under these conditions, the situation can be changed. “Then start-ups of a completely different quality will appear, because they will be created not by students, but by people who come from the financial industry, who understand how to build it, who have money, who are able to hire quality people. Then, probably, there will be a push,” Mr. Volobuev suggests. And this applies not only to fintech separately, but also to the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem of Kazakhstan.
Some regulatory problems or restrictions in this situation do not play a key role. It is the so-called staff shortage that is stopping both fintech and the IT industry as a whole. In addition, in order to develop new technological financial products, without violating the law, the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan initiated a regulatory sandbox project, on the work of which, by the way, there is still little official information.
“One of the problems of IT in Kazakhstan, in principle, is the shortage of personnel. There are not enough specialists to develop startups. Accordingly, highly qualified specialists are needed both from the field of finance and from the field of IT,” says the director of ExSolCom LLP. Vladimir Mastyaev.
General Director of the online accounting service "Bukhta.kz" Aset Nurpeisov noted that the fact that we are in a global market complicates the attraction of technical personnel. After all, the task of a fintech, and even more so a fintech startup, is to create a universal product for any market.
“The personnel problem could be overcome if there was the same attraction of investments as in America or other countries,” Nurpeisov said. Thus, insufficient funding also creates a staffing problem for the industry.
Nevertheless, it is precisely the “underdevelopment” of fintech in Kazakhstan that can play into our hands. Experts expect that in the near future there will be niches where fintech can develop.
Growth points
So, according to Vladimir Mastyaev, universal declaration, which will be introduced in Kazakhstan from 2020, will allow driving fintech.
“Now there is a lot of cash, cash payments in the country. One way or another, universal declaration will lead to its decrease and to an increase in online payments, non-cash payments. This will be a specific driver. The sooner this is introduced, the more people will be involved in non-cash payments,” Mastyaev predicts. He added that among promising directions remains nano- and micro-crediting. He especially emphasized the development of this direction in pawnshops. “Micro and nano lending will develop most rapidly, especially in the online version,” he believes.
In this article, we will get acquainted with the list of countries that are leaders in coal mining. In addition, consider the main features this process and existing problems in the coal mining industry, as well as find out where coal is mined in Russia.
Features of coal mining
Coal is a mineral that is one of the main fuel resources on our planet. Formed in the depths earth's crust due to the fact that for a long time the remains of ancient plants and microorganisms accumulated in it without oxygen. Currently, there are several options for extracting this mineral.
The first coal mining took place at the beginning of the 18th century. A century later, the final formation and development of the coal industry took place. long time miners extracted coal from the bowels of the earth with ordinary shovels, they also actively used picks. In the future, simple tools were replaced by jackhammers. Currently, the mines use all modern technology, which makes it possible to produce maximum speed and convenience.
The most commonly used coal mining methods are:
Most cheap way coal mining - open (quarry). This method is the easiest, cheapest and safest. cut off by large excavators upper layer land, which blocks access to coal deposits. Then coal is extracted in layers and loaded into special wagons.
Underground (mine). Unlike the first, this method is more time-consuming and dangerous. The underground mining method has to be used because a large number of reserves are located deep underground. For mining, multi-meter mines are drilled, from which dissected coal seams are extracted.
The hydraulic method is widely used, which is based on the fact that a jet of water is supplied under high pressure, which breaks the coal seams and is fed through a special pipeline to the production workshops.
Leading countries in coal mining
China is the unattainable leader. Almost half of the world's coal reserves are mined in this country, with an annual figure of around 3,700 million tons. The rest of the countries are far behind China.
Coal reserves in the world and have the following indicators:
- China - 3700 million tons;
- USA - 900 million tons;
- India - 600 million tons;
- Australia - 480 million tons;
- Indonesia - 420 million tons.
Russia is not among the top five and is in 6th place with an indicator of 350 million tons per year. After it, slightly yielding, comes South Africa, then Germany and Poland, and Kazakhstan, as well as Ukraine and Turkey, close the top ten.
Coal mining in the world, million tons
Which countries in Europe have large coal reserves?
In Europe, most coal is mined in Germany and Poland. The total amount of coal mined in the European Union is just over 500 million tons per year. The total world production is 9,000 million tons. On average, each inhabitant of the planet accounts for 1000 kg of coal per year.
This amount, which is supplied by the leading countries in coal mining, is quite enough to provide energy and fuel to the whole world, since along with oil and gas, a sufficient amount of resources is produced that can satisfy the needs of society. Currently, the focus is on more environmentally friendly and safe ways mining so as not to harm the environment.
Leading countries in coal production in 2017
This year, the leading countries in the production of hard coal have not changed, China still occupies the first place. The rest of the states cannot even come close to the volume that is mined in the Middle Kingdom. The leading countries account for about 90% of the total amount of coal produced. The list of leading countries has not changed for several decades.
Every year countries produce more and more coal, thereby increasing the total reserves of this mineral. The processes of extracting coal from the bowels of the earth are constantly being improved, making it possible to automate the process and significantly increase the volume of extracted fuel.
Coal mining in Russia, million tons
Our country is rich in minerals and extracts them both for its own needs and for export to foreign countries. Russia is among the top ten countries that are leaders in coal mining and annually it produces about 350 million tons. In terms of the reserves of this mineral, our country is in second place, second only to the United States.
70% of hard coal is mined open way. As already mentioned, it is safer and less time consuming. But there is one main drawback, which is serious damage to the environment. With open mining, deep craters remain, the integrity of the earth is violated and rock falls appear.
The remaining third is accounted for by underground coal mining in mines. This method requires not only high physical costs from the miners, but also modern, improved technology. It is worth noting that half of all tools and fixtures are significantly outdated and in need of modernization.
Coal deposits in Russia
The following entities are leading in coal mining:
- Krasnoyarsk Territory, partly Irkutsk and Kemerovo Regions;
- Ural;
- Rostov region;
- Irkutsk region;
- Yakutia.
Kuzbass is considered to be the main region for coal mining. More than half of the total coal production in Russia is mined there. The largest deposits and deposits of coal are concentrated in this area.
Conclusion
Millions of tons of coal are mined every year in the world. The countries that are at the top of the list and are the leading countries in terms of coal reserves not only use the mineral for their own needs, but also actively export it to other states, thereby improving their economic condition and making multi-billion dollar profits.
Mining is a labor-intensive and complex process that requires certain knowledge and skills. This also requires special tools and high-tech equipment, which can significantly reduce the time to extract minerals from the bowels of the earth and increase coal reserves. IN different countries apply various ways coal mining. Some prefer more safe method, sacrificing speed, while others rely on the volume produced.
The leading countries in coal production in 2017 remained unchanged. This rating has remained unchanged for many years. China occupies the leading position, and our country is in 6th place, however, in terms of reserves, our country is in the top three. Russia supplies coal to many countries, providing them necessary volumes fuel.
Hard coal is one of the most common types of minerals used in energy, metallurgy and a number of other industries. It is found all over the world, the development of deposits is carried out on all continents except Antarctica. There are several countries that account for the bulk of all coal produced in the world. In terms of available reserves of hard coal, our country is in second place in the world, but in terms of production it is not among the top five, according to this indicator it ranks only sixth. Leading countries in coal mining:
- People's Republic of China;
- India;
- Australia;
- Indonesia.
1st place - China
The People's Republic of China is the undisputed world leader in coal mining. According to this indicator, it has pulled out far ahead, although the country is only in third place in terms of the reserves of this mineral, leaving the United States and Russia ahead. According to official data, over 781.5 billion tons of coal lie in China, about 97% of which is stone, and often very valuable view minerals - stone coking coal. Deposits are distributed almost everywhere, deposits are being developed in 27 regions of China. The largest mines are found in Shanxi Province, which is one of the main coal mining regions. In addition to this area, intensive work is underway to extract coal from the bowels of Shaanxi province, in the western part of Inner Mongolia, the western regions of Henan and Shandong provinces, etc. The largest coal deposit in China, Shenfu-Dongsheng, is located on the border between Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi province .
Coal mining in the People's Republic of China is progressing rapidly. According to the 2013 Statistical Review of World Energy, the country produced 3,680 million tons, which accounted for 46.6% of the total world production. But in 2016, China announced that, due to an oversupply of raw materials in the world market, the country will reduce the amount of coal produced by 500 million tons. The term for reducing production is from 3 to 5 years.
The United States occupies a leading position in terms of proven coal reserves - about 3.6 trillion tons (of which 461 billion tons can be mined using modern methods). Coal deposits are more common in the central regions, as well as in the eastern regions of the country (Appalachian, Illinois and Pennsylvania basins). Work on the development of deposits in the United States is being carried out in almost two dozen states, but the states of Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wyoming are considered the main coal-producing regions of the country. Coal in the United States is famous for its high quality, the content of water and gas in it is quite moderate. The extraction of a mineral from the bowels facilitates the fact that the deposits are mainly located at a shallow depth, and the layers themselves are quite thick. Many deposits use open pit method of coal mining. Recently, the geography of coal mining begins to shift to the west of the country. Here are the basins of Uinta, San Juan River, etc.
The United States of America is in second place in the world in coal production, far behind China - according to official data for 2013, 892.6 million tons were extracted. The most productive year was 2008, when 1,170 million tons were mined. Then this figure began to decline and in 2016 reached 743 million tons - the lowest level since 1978. This situation is explained low prices for gas. In addition, if the US begins to actively develop shale gas deposits, demand for coal may fall even more.
India ranked third in the world in coal production, reaching 605.1 million tons per year (according to 2013 data) and fifth in terms of total reserves - about 9% of the world's coal reserves are located in this country. The coal mining industry in India is a very important industry. coal is the main source of electricity here. More than seven dozen deposits of industrial importance have been explored on the territory of the country, the main of which are located in the northeast, along such rivers as Damodar, Makhanadi, and others. The most significant deposits were discovered in the Damud coal basin. About 85% of all coal reserves in India are the so-called steam coals. Most of the coal mined in India goes to domestic needs, mainly to generate electricity.
In India, the coal industry faces many challenges. At most deposits, an open method is used to extract this mineral, which leads not only to the destruction of the upper soil layer and pollution environment, but also to a decrease in the quality of the coal itself. This is because with this method of extraction, it mixes with waste rock. Another problem is that about 25% of all reserves in India lie at great depths (over 300 m), and, according to the norms, when mining in an open pit, the depth of open pits should not exceed the designated mark. In India, labor productivity is extremely low - one worker extracts from 150 to 2,650 tons of coal per year (in comparison: the same figure in the USA is about 12,000 tons).
Australia is the world leader in terms of exports of mined coal (about 29% of the world), and in terms of reserves and production, it ranks 4th (478 million tons in 2013). The coal industry in this country is very developed, they use the most modern equipment, capable of facilitating and securing the difficult work of a miner. For the country, coal is very important, since about 85% of all electricity is obtained from this mineral. In addition, Australia sells most of its coal to Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Australian coal is renowned for its high quality. The main deposits are discovered in the east of the country, and coal deposits in this part of Australia are distinguished by mining and geological indicators that are favorable for development. The most productive deposits in Australia that are under development are located near the cities of Newcastle and Littow (New South Wales), as well as in the vicinity of such cities as Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff and others (Queensland).
The top five is closed by Indonesia (421 million tons produced in 2013). Most of the coal deposits in this country are located on the island of Sumatra (about 2/3 of all the reserves of this country are located there), but the main production is not here, but on the island of Kalimantan (about 75%). The coal here is of high quality (although most of the coal produced is of low quality). In addition, there are deposits on the islands of Java and Sulawesi. There are a total of 11 coal basins in the country.
Indonesia is a major exporter of coal. She supplies this mineral to Taiwan, Korea and a number of other Asian countries. In addition, Indonesia exports coal to Europe and the United States.
The leading countries in the extraction of hard coal account for about 80% of all produced minerals in the world. And every year, mainly due to these countries, the pace of coal production is increasing.
Coal is a type of fuel, the peak of popularity of which falls on the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. At that time, most engines used coal as fuel, and the consumption of this mineral was truly enormous. In the 20th century, coal gave way to oil, which in turn risks being ousted in the 21st century. alternative sources fuel and natural gas. But, nevertheless, coal is still a strategic raw material.
Coal is used to produce over 400 different goods. Coal tar and tar water are used to produce ammonia, benzene, phenol, and other chemical compounds, which after processing are used in the production of paints and varnishes and rubber. With deep processing of coal, rare metals can be obtained: zinc, molybdenum, germanium.
But still, first of all, coal is valued as a fuel. More than half of all coal produced in the world is used in this capacity. And about 25% of coal production is used in the production of coke for metallurgy.
The total proven world coal reserves are more than 890 billion tons, and the estimated reserves are very difficult to estimate, since many deposits are located in hard-to-reach areas. According to some estimates, the estimated coal reserves in Siberia alone can reach several trillion tons. Proved hard coal reserves are estimated at 404 billion tons, which is 45.39% of the total. The remaining 54.64% are brown coal, whose quantitative reserves are estimated at approximately 486 billion tons. According to scientists, coal should be enough for mankind for about 200 years, while natural gas should be exhausted in 60 and 240 years, respectively.
Like other minerals, coal is unevenly distributed on the world map. Proved reserves of about 812 billion tons, which is 91.2% of all world coal deposits, are concentrated in 10 states. Russia ranks second in the world with a figure of just over 157 billion tons, of which 49.1 billion tons, that is, 31.2% of total number. And the United States of America is the leader in world coal reserves - more than 237.3 billion tons, of which 45.7% is hard coal.
At the end of 2014, in Russian Federation 358.2 million tons of coal were mined. That is 1.7% more than in 2013. The production rate in 2014 is a record for Russia, after the collapse Soviet Union. In the ranking of leading countries in coal mining, Russia ranks 6th. And China leads by a wide margin from its competitors, the country produces 3,680 million tons of coal, which is 46% of world production.
The dynamics of world coal production has two opposite directions. In the United States and developed countries of the European Union, coal production is gradually declining. According to experts, the drop in coal production by 2025 in the United States could reach 20%. This is primarily attributed to the low profitability of mines and low prices for natural gas. In Europe, coal production is declining due to high cost production, as well as negative impact coal enterprises on the environment. Compared to 2000, coal production in the United States decreased by 11%, and in Germany by 8%.
On the other hand, the countries of Southeast Asia are showing a huge increase in coal production. This is due to the sharp economic recovery in the countries of this region. And since these countries are from minerals, they have in large quantities only coal, it is not surprising that the focus is on this type of fuel. For example, in China, 70% of electricity is generated by coal-fired thermal power plants. In order to provide its industry with the necessary amount of electricity, China increased coal production by 2.45 times compared to 2000, India - by 1.8 times, Indonesia - by 4.7 times. Coal production in Russia increased by 25% compared to 2000.
On average, 3,900 million tons of coal is used worldwide every year. China is the world's main consumer. Every year this country consumes about 2,000 million tons of coal. This figure is 51.2% of the average annual world consumption. Russian consumers of coal, according to the results of 2014, used about 170 million tons of fuel. This is number 4 in the world. In general, 8 countries account for 84% of world consumption.
Coal is one of the three main energy minerals. To understand what energy value each type of fuel has been introduced conventional fuel, the heat content of one kg. which is taken equal to 29.306 MJ. Heat content is thermal energy, which is available for conversion into heat at a certain impact on the material. According to the results of 2014, 240 million tons of coal could be created from the coal mined in Russia. conventional fuel, which is 13.9% of the total amount of extracted energy resources.
About 153 thousand people are employed in the Russian coal industry. The average salary in the industry, at the end of 2014, amounted to 40,700 rubles, which is 24.8% more than the average salary in the country. But at the same time, the salary of workers in the coal industry is 26.8% lower than the salary of all enterprises involved in the extraction of minerals.
In 2014, 152 million tons of Russian coal was exported. This figure exceeded by 7.8% the number of exports in 2013. total amount received for export coal in 2014 amounted to USD 11.7 billion. 12.76 million tons were exported to neighboring countries, and the main part of 139.24 million tons was sent to far-abroad countries. 63% of export coal was sent through seaports, the remaining 37% was sent through land border crossings. coal in the Russian Federation in 2014 amounted to 25.3 million tons, which is 15% less than in 2013. About 90% of imports are the delivery of thermal coals from Kazakhstan.
Geography of the industry
To date, 121 cuts and 85 mines are operating in the Russian Federation. The main centers of the coal industry is Siberia, where the Kuznetsk coal basin is located. Other major coal basins countries - Kansk-Achinsk, Pechora, Irkutsk, Ulug-Khem, Eastern Donbass. Promising for development are the Tunguska and Lena coal basins.
The Kuznetsk coal basin (Kuzbass) is one of the largest coal basins in the world. The total geological reserves of coal are estimated at 319 billion tons. Today, more than 56% of all hard coal in Russia is mined in Kuzbass, as well as about 80% of all coking coal.
Coal mining is carried out both underground and open pit. There are 58 mines and 38 coal mines in the basin. More than 30% of coal is mined in cuts, in addition, there are three mines in Kuzbass where mining is carried out hydraulic method. The thickness of the coal seams ranges from 1.5 to 4 meters. The mines are relatively shallow, with an average depth of 200 meters. The average thickness of the developed seams is 2.1 meters.
The quality of coal in the Kuznetsk basin is different. The coals lie deeper High Quality, and closer to the surface in the composition of coals, the content of moisture and ash increases. To improve the quality of mined coal in Kuzbass, there are 25 processing plants. 40-45% of the mined coal is used for coking. The average heat content of coal is 29 - 36 MJ in 1 kg.
The main problem of the Kuznetsk coal basin is its remoteness from the main consumption centers. High transport costs for transporting coal by rail increase it, which negatively affects competitiveness. In this regard, investments aimed at the development of Kuzbass are decreasing.
Unlike Kuzbass, the Donetsk coal basin, East End which is located on the territory of the Russian Federation, occupies an advantageous geographical position. Geological coal reserves in Eastern Donbass are estimated at 7.2 billion tons. To date, mining in the region is carried out only by the underground method. There are 9 mines in operation, the total production capacity of which is about 8 million tons of coal per year.
More than 90% of coals in Eastern Donbass represent the most valuable grade of this fuel - anthracite. Anthracites are coals that have the highest calorific value- 34-36 MJ per 1 kg. Used in the energy and chemical industries.
Coal mining in the Eastern Donbass is carried out from a great depth. As a rule, the depth of the mines exceeds 1 km, while the thickness of the developed seams varies between 1.2 - 2.5 meters. Difficult mining conditions affect the cost of coal, in connection with which the government of the Russian Federation spent more than 14 billion rubles in the period from 2006 to 2010 to restructure the coal industry in the region. In 2015, a government program was launched to liquidate unprofitable coal enterprises in the Eastern Donbass. Now the program is at the stage of development of project documentation.
The Ulug-Khem coal basin is one of the most promising for development and investment. It is located in the Tyva Republic and has in-place coal reserves of 10.2 billion tons. The Elegetskoye coal deposit is located here, which has huge reserves of scarce coking coal of the Zh. For comparison, coals of this class are mined in Kuzbass from seams 2–2.3 meters thick.
The Mezhegeyskoye coal deposit with explored reserves of 213 million tons of Zh grade coal is also located here, as well as the largest coal mine in the Republic of Tyva - the Kaa-Khemsky coal mine. A thick layer of Ulug is developed in the section, the average thickness of which is 8.5 m. The annual production volume is more than 500 thousand tons of coal.
The Kansk-Achinsk coal basin is the largest in Russia in terms of brown coal production. This basin is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and partly on the territory of the Irkutsk and Kemerovo regions. Coal reserves are estimated at 221 billion tons. Most of the coal is mined in an open pit.
On average, more than 40 million tons of brown thermal coal are mined in the Kansk-Achinsk basin per year. The largest coal mine in Russia, Borodinsky, is located here. The average annual coal production at this enterprise is more than 19 million tons of coal. In addition to Borodinsky, there are Berezovsky open-pit mine with a production of 6 million tons of coal per year, Nazarovsky - 4.3 million tons per year, Pereyaslovsky - 4 million tons per year.
The Irkutsk coal basin has an area of 42,700 sq. km. Estimated coal reserves are more than 11 billion tons, of which 7.5 billion tons are explored reserves. More than 90% of the deposits are coal grades G and GZh. The thickness of the seams is 1-10 meters. The largest deposits are located in the cities of Cheremkhovo and Voznesensk.
The Pechersk coal basin is located in the Komi Republic and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The geological reserves of coal in this basin are estimated at 95 billion tons, and according to some sources, 210 billion tons. Mining is carried out underground and about 12 million tons of coal are mined annually. Coal enterprises are located in the cities of Vorkuta and Inta.
Valuable grades of coal are mined in the basin - coking coal and anthracite. Coal is mined in difficult conditions– the average mining depth is about 300 meters, and the coals have an average seam thickness of 1.5 m. The seams are subject to subsidence and bending, as a result of which they increase in coal extraction. In addition, the cost of coal is affected by the fact that mining is carried out in conditions Far North and workers receive a "northern" wage supplement. But, despite the high coal, the role of the Pechersk basin is very important. It provides important raw materials to the enterprises of the North and North-West of Russia.
The Lena and Tunguska giant coal basins are located in the eastern part of Siberia and Yakutia. The area of the Lena basin is 750,000 sq. km., Tunguska - about 1 million square meters. km. According to the amount of coal reserves, the data vary greatly, the geological reserves of the Lena basin range from 283 to 1,800 billion tons, and the Tunguska - from 375 to 2,000 billion tons.
Coal mining in these basins is difficult due to the inaccessibility of the territories. Today, in the Lena basin, mining is carried out at 2 mines and 3 cuts, the average annual production is about 1.5 million tons of coal. In the Tunguska basin, mining is carried out by 1 mine and 2 cuts, the average annual production is about 800 thousand tons of coal.
Indicators of coal production and consumption in Russia
The coal industry of the Soviet Union, and after that of the Russian Federation, has experienced several ups and downs. After record-breaking coal production in the late 80s, the industry began to experience a crisis in the mid-90s. In 1988, a production record was recorded - 426 million tons, and after 10 years in 1998, production decreased by almost 2 times and amounted to only 233 million tons of coal.
The reasons for the crisis lie in the low profitability of the coal industry. In the 90s, it decided to close subsidized and unprofitable mines. 70 mines were closed, which in total produced more than 25 million tons of coal. In addition to the rather low productivity of the mines, the coal they mined belonged to substandard grades, and its further processing was very expensive. As a result of the crisis, the coal enterprises of the Moscow Basin practically ceased to exist. More than 50 mines were closed in the Eastern Donbass, which accounted for 78% of the total. In Kuzbass, production decreased by 40%. in the Urals and Far East production decreased by 2 times.
At the same time, the construction of 11 new mines and 15 coal mines began. As a result of the reforms, the share of open-pit coal increased to 65%, the productivity of mines increased by 80%, and mine cuts by 200%. Thus, it was possible to increase coal production, and at the beginning of the 2000s, an increase in coal production began, which continues to this day.
In 2014, 252.9 million tons of coal were mined by open pit mining, which accounted for 70% of the total. Compared to 2013, this figure increased by 0.8%. And if compared with 2000, this figure increased by 34%.
About 45% of the Russian coal mined is processed at processing plants. In 2014, out of 358 million tons of coal mined, 161.8 million tons were processed at factories. 43% of the coal mined in the Pechersk Basin is sent for processing, for the Eastern Donbass this figure is 71.4%, for the Kuzbass - 44%.
At the end of 2014, the largest amount of coal was mined in the Siberian Federal District - 84.5% of the total. For other federal districts, the situation is as follows:
- Far Eastern federal district – 9.4%
- Northwestern Federal District - 4%
- Southern Federal District - 1.3%
- Ural Federal District - 0.5%
- Privolzhsky Federal District - 0.2%
- Central Federal District - 0.1%
In 2014, taking into account imports, 195.95 million tons of coal were supplied to the domestic Russian market. This is 5.5% less than in 2013. The distribution of coal in the market is as follows:
- Provision of power plants - 55.1%
- For coke production – 19.3%
- Municipal consumers and population - 13.3%
- The needs of metallurgy - 1.3%
- JSC "Russian railways» - 0.7%
- Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - 0.4%
- Nuclear industry - 0.3%
- Other needs ( State reserve, cement plants, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, etc.) - 9.6%
The largest coal companies in Russia
The leader of the Russian coal industry is the Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK). At the end of 2013, SUEK's enterprises produced 96.5 million tons of coal, which is 27.4% of the total amount of coal produced in Russia. The company has the largest explored coal reserves in Russia - 5.6 billion tons. This is the fifth indicator among all coal companies in the world.
The structure of the company includes 17 coal mines and 12 mines. SUEK's coal mining enterprises are located in 7 regions of the Russian Federation. At the end of 2013, in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, SUEK produced coal:
- Kemerovo region - 32.6 million tons;
- Krasnoyarsk Territory - 26.5 million tons;
- Republic of Buryatia - 12.6 million tons;
- Republic of Khakassia - 10.6 million tons;
- Trans-Baikal Territory - 5.4 million tons;
- Khabarovsk Territory - 4.6 million tons;
- Primorsky Krai - 4.1 million tons;
SUEK enterprises specialize in the extraction of coal grades D, DG, G, SS, as well as brown coal. In total, open-pit coal mining is 68%, and underground - 32%. The turnover of the Siberian Coal Energy Company in 2013 amounted to 5.4 billion US dollars. The number of employees of the company exceeds 33 thousand people.
The second largest coal company in the Russian Federation is OAO Kuzbassrazrezugol. The company specializes in open pit coal mining and operates in 6 coal mines. According to the results of 2013, 43.9 million tons of coal were mined at the open pits owned by Kuzbassrazrezugol.
The structure of the company includes coal mining enterprises with explored coal reserves of more than 2 billion tons. Kuzbassrazrezugol mines and sells coal grades D, DG, G, SS, T, KO, KS, more than 50% of its products are exported. At the end of 2013, the company's turnover amounted to 50 billion rubles. The total number of employees exceeds 25 thousand people. Coal mines owned by Kuzbassrazrezugol:
- Taldinsky;
- Bachatsky;
- Krasnobrodsky;
- Kedrovsky;
- Mokhovsky;
- Kaltan;
The SDS-Ugol company has the third indicator of coal production in Russia. In 2013, SDS-Coal enterprises produced 25.7 million tons of coal. Of these, 66% were mined by the open method, and 34% by the underground method. About 88% of the products were exported. The main importing countries of SDS-Ugol: Germany, Great Britain, Turkey, Italy, Switzerland.
SDS-Ugol is a subsidiary holding "Siberian Business Union". The structure of "SDS-Ugol" includes 4 coal mines and more than 10 mines. Also in the structure of the company there are 2 processing plants "Chernigovskaya" and "Listvyazhnaya" with an annual processing capacity of 11.5 million tons of coal and 10 million tons of coal, respectively. The staff of the SDS-Ugol company is about 13 thousand people. The company's average annual turnover is about 30 billion rubles.
Vostsibugol is the largest coal company Eastern Siberia and fourth in terms of production in Russia. The company's coal mining enterprises provide 90% of fuel to OAO Irkutskenergo. In addition, coal is supplied to enterprises in the Angara region and other regions of the country. Coal mining in 2013 amounted to 15.7 million tons.
Vostsibugol manages 7 coal mines, a processing plant with a processing capacity of 4.5 million tons of coal per year, and an ore repair plant. The company mines coal grades 2BR, 3BR, D, SS, Zh, G, GZh. The total coal reserves at Vostsibugol's fields are estimated at 1.1 billion tons, of which 0.5 billion tons are hard coal and 0.6 billion tons are lignite. The company's average annual turnover is about 10 billion rubles. The number of employees is 5 thousand people.
Yuzhny Kuzbass is the fifth largest coal mining company in Russia. At the end of 2013, the company's enterprises produced 15.1 million tons of coal. Yuzhny Kuzbass is part of the Mechel holding and has 3 mines, 3 cuts and 4 processing plants. Explored coal reserves are about 1.7 billion tons.
Prospects for the development of the industry
According to analysts' forecasts, demand for coal will increase until about 2020. After that, the consumption of this type of fuel will gradually decrease. This forecast is associated with an increase in natural gas consumption in the future. And even the growing demand for the coal of countries South-East Asia and India will not be able to cover the decline in coal consumption in the developed countries of Europe and America.
Coal mining in Russia is a very important component of the country's economy. In addition to meeting domestic needs, coal is a strategically important export raw material. Demand for Russian coal is very high, but there is one problem that increases the cost of fuel. These are the costs of transporting coal.
In 2014, the average annual cost of a tonne of Kuzbass export coal was $76, while about half of the amount had to be spent on transporting fuel to Far Eastern seaports. Coal consumption in the domestic market is reduced due to the gasification of regions and enterprises, therefore, for the development of the industry, it is necessary to focus on exports.
In order to "stay afloat" Russian coal companies must necessarily reduce the cost of mining and transporting coal. It is also very important to develop technologies for enrichment and processing of raw materials in order to supply more expensive grades of coal to the market.
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