Russia may increase its duty on imports of coking coal from five to 15 percent, following a proposal made by Mechel, one of the leading Russian mining and steel groups. However, the proposal will have to be supported by other coal producers in the domestic market.
Mechel is the main producer of K grade coking coal, which is currently imported mostly from Kazakhstan. In 2008, Russia imported about 1.2 million mt of coal, including 529,000 mt of K grade coking coal from Kazakhstan.