Russia's coal exports to China could double - Shmatko
ST. PETERSBURG. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Russia plans to clinch an intergovernmental agreement with China concerning coal, Russian exports of which to that country could well rise to 20 million tonnes annually from 10 million tonnes last year, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko reported at a Wednesday meeting in St. Petersburg devoted to the results of Russia's fuel and energy complex in 2010.
China is one of the world's biggest coal-producers with annual output of roughly 3 billion tonnes. Russia produced a reported little over 320 million tonnes in 2010, exporting about 115 million tonnes.
According to figures presented at a January meeting of Russia's Federation Council on the coal industry, global coal consumption is about 7 billion tonnes and could rise by more than 3 billion tonnes by 2030. China is expected to meet much of that increased need - around 2.4 billion tonnes, head of the World Mining Congress's Russian organizing committee Georgy Krasnyansky said. Exports of coal from Russia to China is limited by insufficiently developed infrastructure, he said.
