Kuzbass ups coal production 5% in 2016, above forecast
KEMEROVO. Jan 12 (Interfax) - Russia's coal-rich Kemerovo region, home to the Kuznetsk coal basin or Kuzbass, produced 227.4 million tonnes of coal in 2016, 5.4% more than in 2015, the regional administration said in a press release.
The region's governor, Aman Tuleyev, said in February that 215 million tonnes of coal might be produced, as in 2015. The forecast was later revised on two occasions, first to 220 million tonnes and then to 225 million tonnes.
Open-cast mines produced 145.1 million tonnes of last year's coal and deep mines produced 82.3 million tonnes. Coking coal production grew a third, to 65 million tonnes.
The biggest increases in coal production were achieved by OJSC SUEK-Kuzbass (7.7 million tonnes),LLC Razrez Kiizassky (3.9 million tonnes) and the Raspadskaya Coal Company's Novokuznetsk site (0.9 million tonnes).
The region's washing plants ran at 81.7% capacity and processed 159.9 million tonnes of coal, 3.6% more than in 2015. They produced 73.1 million tonnes of coal concentrate, up 3.7%, of which 45.5 million tonnes of coking coal concentrate.
Coal shipments grew 4.3% in the year to 188.9 million tonnes.