"We set ourselves the task of maintaining the figures of 2022, which was quite difficult for the coal industry, it was a transitional year, we changed the entire flow of goods after the introduction of the embargo. Therefore, the number one task is to preserve the parameters, that is, coal production at a level above 440 million tonnes and export above 220 million tonnes," Mochalnikov said.
Russia's coal supplies to China and India showed year-on-year growth in the first five months of 2023, the deputy energy minister added.
"The coal industry and our companies also have something to be proud of. So far, [coal exports] are also ahead of the previous year. The main market, as usual, is the Asia-Pacific region and the Global South, so all our consumers are mainly there," Mochalnikov said, speaking about Russian coal supplies to China and India in January-May.
The SPIEF is taking place from June 14-17.