RUSSIA CONSIDERS INCREASING COAL USE TO FACILITATE GAS EXPORTS

The Russian government has repeatedly pledged to reduce natural gas consumption in power generation and increase coal use, in order to maximize gas exports. Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin also suggested that coal be given a greater role. But this goal would require large-scale construction of coal-fired power generation facilities, totaling some 40 gigawatts by 2020.

Current plans see coal-fired power stations producing some 40% of Russia’s electricity between now and 2020. Russia’s domestic coal demand in the power generation sector is expected to rise from the current 121 million tons a year to 300 million tons by 2020 (RBK Daily, May 22).

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