Russia’s coking coal output rises 9.9 percent in 2010

According to the data issued by Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, in 2010 Russia registered a 5.4 percent year-on-year rise in its coal output to 317 million mt, including 67.1 million mt of coking coal - up 9.9 percent year on year. The higher coal output in 2010 was due to increased demand in the domestic and external markets and due to the improvement of external economic conditions.
 
According to preliminary data, in 2010, Russia's total shipments of coal to the domestic market amounted to 197.5 million mt - up 7.3 percent year on year, including 38.6 million mt of coal for coking needs - up 2.9 percent year on year.
 
In January-November 2010, Russia exported 104.9 million mt of coal - up 9.5 percent year on year, while the year-on-year increase rate of coal exports amounted to 5.2 percent for non-CIS countries, and to 62.3 percent for CIS countries, which was due to the increase of coal exports to Ukraine (from 6.9 million mt in January-November 2009 to 11.5 million mt in January-November 2010, i.e., an increase of 66.7 percent). The share of exports in the overall amount of coal output in January-November 2010 increased to 36.6 percent from 35.5 percent in the same period last year.
 
Meanwhile, in the first 11 months of 2010, Russia's imports of coal decreased by 30.6 percent year on year to 14.7 million mt.
 
In December, coal prices in Russia increased by 27 percent year on year (with coking coal prices rising by 52.8 percent year on year), and by 2.5 percent month on month. The most significant increase in coal prices in Russia occurred in January-May 2010, which comparing to December 2009 amounted to an increase of 16.4 percent for coal in general, and a 37.3 percent rise for coking coal.