Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2019 number 5S

The paper analyzes the current state of coal export in the east of Russia, namely the Baikal, South Yakutia and Far Eastern coals. The place of the Baikal and Far Eastern regions on an all-Russian scale is established. The advantages and disadvan tages of coal complexes in Eastern Siberia and the Far East of Russia are examined in terms of export potential, such as the quality of coal and proximity to foreign markets. The reasons for the development of the coal industry in eastern Russia in recent years are identified. The countries and regions of the world importing the Baikal, South Yakutia, and Far Eastern coals are identified. Each coal-mining region in the east of Russia, whose coals are exported, is investigated. The volumes of the export, the directions of supplies, and the types of coal shipped are determined. The transport infrastructure used for the export of coal within the Baikal and Far Eastern regions, including border crossings and cargo ports, is analyzed. This study also touches upon the problems and constraining factors of coal export, such as the limited capacity of Russian railways, their utilized capacity, high transport tariffs for coal transportation, as well as loaded cargo ports carrying out coal transportation and their overcharges. The possibilities of overcoming these problems and the constraining factors of coal export are considered, which include, first of all, reconstruction of railway sections carrying out coal transportation, modernization of cargo ports loading coal to sea transport, and improvement in the depth of processing of coal mined in Siberia. The possibility of building new rail links with border crossings on the border between Russia and China is analyzed. The main prospects for coal export to the East Asian market are determined.