According to the data issued by Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, in January this year Russia registered a 2.9 percent year-on-year rise in its coal output to 27.3 million mt, due to increased demand in the domestic and external markets and due to the improvement of external economic conditions.
According to preliminary data, in January Russia's total shipments of coal to the domestic market amounted to 18.9 million mt - up 0.9 percent year on year, including 3.1 million mt of coal for coking needs - down 7.6 percent year on year.
In 2010, Russia exported 115.7 million mt of coal - up 10 percent year on year, while the year-on-year increase rate of coal exports amounted to 6.1 percent for non-CIS countries and to 56.4 percent for CIS countries. The share of exports in the overall domestic coal output volume in 2010 increased to 36.5 percent from 34.9 percent in 2009. In 2010, export contract prices for Russian coal increased by 13.2 percent year on year.
In January this year, coal prices in Russia increased by 5.3 percent compared to December 2010, with coking coal prices rising by two percent month on month.