Russia plans to increase coal exports to Asia-Pacific countries in 2023, TASS quoted Russian Deputy Energy Minister Sergey Mochalnikov as saying.
Mochalnikov said Russia's coal exports slightly exceeded 140 million tonnes to Asia-Pacific countries in 2022, and there will be a further increase from that level.
Russia exported 220 million tonnes of coal in 2022, down 1% from 2021, according to Russia's energy ministry. Its coal production last year stood at 440 million tonnes, almost unchanged from the 2021 level.
Russia has switched its focus from the West to the East since western countries imposed harsh sanctions on its energy commodities due to Russia-Ukraine conflict. The EU completely banned Russian coal imports since August 2022.
Russian energy minister Nikolay Shulginov said in a recent speech that Russian coal production is expected to remain at last year's level in 2023.
China will be the core partner for its energy switch strategy. Russia exported 59.52 million tonnes of coal to China last year, up 11.2% from a year ago.
In the Joint Statement signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his counterpart Vladimir Putin on March 21, the two countries will build a closer partnership for energy cooperation, including oil, gas and coal.
(Writing by Alex Guo Editing by Harry Huo)
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