RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Proved recoverable reserves (total coal, million
tonnes) 157 010
Production (total coal, million tonnes, 1999) 249.4
The levels quoted for Russian coal resources and reserves
are unchanged from those given in the 1998 Survey
of Energy Resources, as the WEC Member Committee was
unable to obtain any more recent coal data for the
present Survey.
The proved amount of coal in place at end-1996 comprised
75.8 billion tonnes of bituminous coal, based on a
maximum deposit depth of 1 200 metres and a minimum
seam thickness of 0.6-0.7 metres; 113.3 billion tonnes
of sub-bituminous grades (at depths of up to 600 metres
and minimum thickness 1-2 metres); and 11.5 billion
tonnes of lignite (at 300 metres and 1.5-2 metres,
respectively).
Proved recoverable reserves were reported as just
over 49 billion tonnes of bituminous coal, of which
23% was considered to be surface-mineable and 55%
was suitable for coking. Of the 97.5 billion tonnes
of proved recoverable reserves of sub-bituminous coal,
74% was suitable for surface mining, while all of
the 10.5 billion tonnes of recoverable lignite reserves
fell into this category. Overall, about 94 billion
tonnes of Russia’s proved reserves were deemed to
be recoverable by opencast or strip mining. Further
enormous tonnages of coal, of the order of over 30
times the quoted proved reserves, were reported to
be recoverable in the future.
Russian coal reserves are widely dispersed and occur
in a number of major basins. These range from the
Moscow basin in the far west to the eastern end of
the Donetsk basin (most of which is within the Ukraine)
in the south, the Pechora basin in the far northeast
of European Russia, and the Irkutsk, Kuznetsk, Kansk-Achinsk,
Lena, South Yakutia and Tunguska basins extending
across Siberia to the Far East.
The principal economic hard coal deposits of Russia
are found in the Pechora and Kuznetsk basins. The
former, which covers an area of some 90 000 km2, has
been extensively developed for underground operations,
despite the severe climate and the fact that 85% of
the basin is under permafrost. The deposits are in
relatively close proximity to markets and much of
the coal is of good rank, including coking grades.
The Kuznetsk basin, an area of some 26 700 km2, lies
to the east of the city of Novosibirsk and contains
a wide range of coals; the ash content is variable
and the sulphur is generally low. Coal is produced
from both surface and underground mines.
Lying east of the Kuznetsk and astride the trans-Siberian
railway, the Kansk-Achinsk basin contains huge deposits
of brown (sub-bituminous) coal with medium (in some
cases, low) ash content and generally low sulphur;
large strip-mines are linked to dedicated power stations
and carbo-chemical plants. The vast Siberian coal-bearing
areas of the Lena and Tunguska basins constitute largely
unexplored resources, the commercial exploitation
of which would probably be difficult to establish.
The transportation of coal from mining to consuming
areas is often problematical in a country of Russia’s
proportions. As the reserves in the western areas
have been increasingly depleted the focus of production
has moved further east and the burden on the rail
system has increased.
From a peak of around 425 million tonnes in 1988,
Russia’s total coal production declined dramatically
following the disintegration of the USSR, and now
stands at about 250-260 million tonnes per annum.
In 1998 about 70% of Russian consumption was accounted
for by power stations and district heating plants.
In recent years Russia has been a net exporter of
coal, but on a declining scale
Australia
|| Botwana
|| Brazil
|| Canada
|| China
|| Colombia
|| Czech
Republic || Germany
|| Greece
|| India
|| Indonesia
|| Pakistan
|| Poland
|| Russian
Federation || South
Africa || Thailand
|| United
Kingdom || United
States Of America
