"Almost 175 million tons was produced in Kuzbass in 2006, which is a record indicator for the more than 100-year history of industrial coal production in the region," first deputy governor Valentin Mazikin told an industrial security conference in Kemerovo.
"At the same time, the volume of coal production reached so far is not the limit. Demand for it as fuel for our thermal power plants in the 21st century will grow," he said.
A total of 136 billion rubles ($5.2 billion) has been invested into Kuzbass's coal industry during the past 10 years.
However, despite the growing importance of coal to Russia's economy, mine safety has not always kept pace with increased production.
In the latest mine tragedy, a total of 108 people were killed and 93 rescued following an explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine in the Kemerovo Region March 19.
Russia's technological watchdog said Monday that the results of a preliminary investigation indicate that the methane explosion at the mine was caused by serious breaches in safety regulations.
Konstantin Pulikovsky, the head of the Federal Environmental, Engineering, and Nuclear Supervision Agency, said the watchdog will carry out checks of safety procedures at all Russian mines.
The inspection of 60 mines in the Kemerovo Region began last Thursday, and checks of all mines across Russia will start March 27.
Pulikovsky demanded that urgent measures be taken, including the suspension of production, if any safety violations are discovered at mines.
