В Приамурье подвели итоги празднования 75-летия Победы в Великой Отечественной войне 1941-1945 гг. Самые яркие проекты были отмечены памятными медалями от Российского организационного комитета «Победа». Награждение прошло в Правительстве области 14 января 2021 г.

Грамота «за активное участие в патриотическом воспитании граждан и решении социально-экономических проблем ветеранов Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 гг.», подписанная Президентом Российской Федерации, и памятная медаль «75 лет Победы в Великой Отечественной войне 1941-1945 годов» вручены коллективу АО «Амурский уголь» (компания «Русский Уголь»).

К 75-ой годовщине Великой Победы горняки компании «Русский Уголь» провели в Приамурье ряд патриотических проектов.

В городе Райчихинске и селе Варваровка Амурской области прошло мероприятие «Герои священной войны», организованное городским краеведческим музеем Райчихинска и компанией «Амурский уголь». Школьникам рассказали о подвигах их земляков, показали архивные документы, фотографии и экспонаты времен Великой Отечественной войны. Воспоминаниями о тяжелом труде в угольных шахтах поделились пенсионеры предприятия.

В честь 75-летия Великой Победы в Райчихинске при поддержке угольщиков установлены памятные стелы воинам-райчихинцам, представленным к высшим военным наградам Советского Союза – Николаю Покачалову и Андрею Дьяченко.

Из рабочих посёлков Райчихи и Кивды и близлежащих районов только в начале войны на фронт отправились 2051 человек. Всего за годы войны на фронт ушло 7 076 райчихинцев. В годы Великой Отечественной войны тыл был вторым фронтом. В шахтах Кивды и на угольных разрезах Райчихи Амурской области по 12 часов в сутки добывали необходимый стране уголь.

Трудовые подвиги горняков Райчихинска увековечены в памятнике Героям Социалистического труда «Ковш». В 2019-2020 гг. при благотворительной помощи компаний «Русский Уголь» и «Амуруголь» проведена его комплексная реставрация. Горнякам-ветеранам, труженикам тыла, шахтерам, вышедшим на заслуженный отдых, компании оказывают социальную поддержку и адресную благотворительную помощь.

«Мы гордимся, что на нашем предприятии работали герои Великой Отечественной войны, подарившие нам мирную жизнь. «Амурский уголь» не может оставаться в стороне от увековечивания памяти об их великих подвигах. Патриотическое воспитание молодежи, акции по сохранению истории Великой Победы, поддержка горняков-ветеранов и пожилых жителей Райчихинска – неотъемлемая часть социальной политики компании. В наступившем 2021 году социальные программы в этой области будут продолжены», – рассказал генеральный директор компании «Амурский уголь» Олег Ведерников.

In 2019 total supplies of thermal coal, both brown and steam, produced at 7 coal mines of Russian Coal Group in Amur, Krasnoyarsk and Khakassia regions, exceeded 13.5 million tons. This is the biggest volume of coal supplies in the company’s history and 1 million tons more than in 2018.

Production of Russian Coal Group was shipped to the domestic market as well as exported. In 2019 supplies to the domestic market of the Russian Coal Group increased by 5% compared to 2018, and export coal shipments grew by 26% over this period.

In 2019 took place 10% growth of supplies of high calorific steam coal from Sayano-Partizanskiy coal mine situated at Krasnoyarsk region, Siberia, Russia. G and D rank coal from this mine is mostly exported to European and Asia-Pacific markets and used at power stations, cement and glass industry, and metallurgy. In 2019 shipments of Sayano-Partizanskiy coal grew from 1 to 1.1 million tons.

In 2019 Russian Coal Group produced over 15.3 million tons of thermal coal. This is 1.3 more than in 2018, when total output slightly exceeded 14 million tons of coal.

In 2019 production capacity of coal mine Sayano-Pertizanskiy situated in the Krasnoyarsk region exceeded by 10% – to 1.1 million tons. At this mine, high calorific steam D and G rank coal is produced. Specifications of this coal make it suitable for all international standards of power sector as well as of housing and utilities. 70% of its production is exported to Europe and Asia-Pacific countries.

At coal mine Stepnoy which is situated in the Khakassia region of Russia production capacity in 2019 increased by 200 thousand tons – to 4.4 million tons. At Stepnoy coal mine D rank steam coal is produced which is in high demand both in Russia and abroad. Most part of the production is processed at the coal refining plant.

About 3.5 million tons of brown coal for local consumption was produced at coal mines of the Amur region.

The production capacity of the Russian Coal Group in 2019 was the highest during the whole history of the company. To reach it company invests in supply its 7 coal mines in Amur, Krasnoyarsk and Khakassia regions with new modern mining equipment: new excavators, dump cars, bulldozers, loaders are not only more efficient but also safer for operators and ecology.

In July 2019, Kirbinskiy coal mine became part of the Russian Coal Group. Kirbinskiy coal mine is situated at Beiskiy coalfield of the Khakassia region, Siberia, Russia. The mine was put into operation and produced its first ton of coal in 2018. And by the end of 2019 more than 1.3 million tons of coal was produced at Kirbinskiy mine. Balance reserves of the mine exceed 350 million tons of coal.

At Kirbinskiy coal mine steam D-rank coal with the calorific value of 5 500 – 6 000 kcal/kilo is produced. Kirbinskiy coal is shipped to the domestic market of Russia and exported to Europe and Asia. Over 200 people work at the mine.

Due to the high quality of Kirbinskiy coal and high demand on it Russian Coal Group plans to increase production in 2020 to over 2 million tons of coal per year.

Now Russian Coal Group is investing in supplying the Kirbinskiy coal mine with the new mining equipment. New hydraulic excavators, dump cars and loaders are bought to further increase in production capacity of the mine. In prospect, it is planned to increase annual production volume to 4 million tons of coal and if the market conditions become favorable, production capacity can be increased to 8 million tons and coal refining plant can be built.

The expansion of production will lead to the creation of new jobs for the residents of Khakassia and growth of tax payments to the regional budget, said the spokesperson of the Russian Coal Group. He mentioned that social responsibility is a high priority for the Russian Coal Group. Therefore the company will continue various social and charity projects in Khakassia region. High attention will be paid to the implementation of ecological programs, environmental protection programs and industrial safety.

Over 138 million rubles Russian Coal Group invested in corporate social responsibility, charitable and ecological projects in 2018. Comparable with 2017, in 2018 these investments grew by 17%.

Corporate social responsibility projects of Russian Coal Group are run in 3 regions of the Russian Federation – Amur, Krasnoyarsk and Khakassia regions. The company supports educational, cultural and sports programs, programs for elderly people and veterans, orphanages and disabled people. Investments are also aimed at the implementation of industrial safety and environmental safety projects.

Russian Coal Group is consistently implementing social programs for employees, among which are sanatorium-resort rehabilitation of workers and summer camps for their children, professional development of specialists, retirement benefits and other programs.

Russian Coal Group is one of the largest coal mining companies of Russia that unites 7 coal mines in Siberia and the Far East of Russia. Over 4 300 people work at these assets. The annual production volume of the company exceeds 15 million tons of coal.

“Russian Coal” Group CEO Bilan Uzhakhov: “Our mid-term strategy involves production increase, optimization and automatization, sales in new markets”
CEO of “Russian Coal” Group tells about global and Russian coal markets situation, trends and prospects; his attitude to possibilities of creation carbon-free zones and tasks and targets of the company in 2017.

Read the interview

Author: Bilan Uzhakhov – Russian Coal Group Director General
It is an open secret that the global electric power industry of which the coal industry forms a part is experiencing a system-wide reduction in both volumes and prices of energy resources.

In Russia, the coal industry now employs around 151,000 citizens, and another 500,000 people work in related industries, and the consequences of that trend have to be thought about at both corporate and national levels.

It is not surprising at all because coal companies are major enterprises for 31 Russian industry-based towns that have the total population of 1.5 million people.

Russia ranks sixth in the world when it comes to the total coal output. The privatization of coal industry completed following the end of the Soviet era resulted in coal being mainly mined in Russia by privately owned joint stock companies.

In Q1 2016, coal in Russia was mined by 169 companies, 107 of which dealt with open-pit mining and 62 took coal in mines. The industrial reserves of operating Russian companies that mine power station coal stand at about 15 billion tons. Nowadays it is only Russian Coal Group that has the reserves of 1.2 billion tons of thermal coal.

In Q1 of this year, the total output made 96 million tons, which is 6% more than in the similar period of last year. It is thermal coal that occupies a substantial share in the total output. Coal deliveries increased by 4% compared to the similar period of last year.

On the face of it, the state of the Russian coal mining industry does not seem to be beyond hope. However with that said the Russian coal industry has to face lots of problems and risks both in the domestic market and those pertaining to export.

Domestic consumption: gas and Kazakh import as major threats

The ‘low water’ in the hydrosystems of Siberia and the Far East contributed to success within the Russian national coal industry in 2015, with the load transferred from hydropower plants to steam plants, including coal-steam plants. But it is hardly probable that we will have much luck this year.

The programmes of gasification are being fullfilled in Siberia according to plans. Low prices of natural gas will facilitate the development of those programmes.

Import of cheap coal from Kazakhstan poses another problem for coalers. Thus in Q1 2016, as many as 5.3 million tons of power station coal was brought from that country, which is 10% of the total domestic Russian consumption. However, extremely low global prices still make the domestic market attractive in terms of the selling of thermal coal. The competition will get even stronger there.

Russian Railways’s rates now pose a significant problem for the domestic market. The result is that logistical costs are often used to cover all potential profits, and the conveying of coal to some potential clients makes no business sense. In fact, it is railway rates that are of crucial importance in today’s domestic sales market of Russian coal.

Export: devaluation is just respite but not a panacea

Coal ranks fifth in the list of basic export products in Russia. There was a continuous growth of Russian coal exports beginning from the post-Soviet times when there was an upward trend in global prices of coal. In terms of coal exports, Russia ranks third in the world after Indonesia and Australia. In Q1 2016, of all the volume of exports, 37.5 million tons was exported, which is 5% above the level of the relevant period of 2015. With that said the share of exports in the volume of Russian coal deliveries in Q1 2016 stood at 44.3%. In 2015, the coal export proceeds made USD 9.5 billion, and in Q1 2016 they made USD 1.9 billion.

90% of exports accrue to thermal coal. Today, Russian coal is exported to 50 countries, including Japan, Cyprus, the UK, China, the Republic of Korea, Finland, Poland, and the Baltics. The main focus of attention was an upward trend in deliveries of coal through eastern ports in Q1 2016 (+18% compared to the same period of last year).

In 2015, Poland, South Korea, Japan, China, Bulgaria and the Baltics became the main export areas for Russian Coal Group. Our export can be divided into Europe (51% of exports) and the Asia Pacific Region (49%). We carry out deliveries to China (that is among our top priority export areas) through traders and through overland borders directly. Poland is treated by Russian Coal Group as another top priority foreign sales market where we can witness a reduction in the output by local enterprises due to loss-making production companies, and our products are highly competitive.

Last year’s weakening of the rouble revived the Russian coal export and served as a commercial driver for business. The devaluation of the rouble gave support to export and gave Russian coal the edge in the world market. But it should be mentioned that such trend cannot last for long. No devaluation has ever resulted in any long-term positive effect.

Investment as a source of survival but not development

A decrease in the volume of investment (that is not expected to exceed RUB 52 billion) has posed a threat to the Russian coal industry. Considering the current rate of exchange, it is less than USD 1 billion. For comparison: in 2013, investment in Russian coal industry made about USD 2 billion. The effects of the decrease in investments will have to be felt not only in 2016 but also throughout the years 2017-2018 since the coal industry is rather passive in itself. The inertia principle is now applicable to the investment reserve created in 2013-2014.

Now it is clear that the investment generation by Russian coal companies will tend to the minimum survival estimate. I suppose that further decrease in the volume of investment is out of the question because such decrease will surely endanger the existence of the industry. Absence of investment in production will result in an increase of production costs. The profitability reported by coal producers is weak as it is, and its figures can be even worse if no investment is made.

In 2015, investments by Russian Coal Group made about RUB 1.5 billion. Considering that our company occupies around 8% of the Russian market of thermal coal, it is quite good. In 2016, depending on the market conditions, we plan to invest another RUB 1.5 billion. Such volume of investment allows maintaining the existing company’s facilities that include 7 coal mines in the Amur region, the Republic of Khakassia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory where over 4,000 working people are employed.

Efficiency and cost effectiveness to be on the list of top priority tasks

Expenses incurred by Russian coal producers are ever increasing. Taking into account the devaluation, companies will have to pay a much higher price to upgrade the equipment, 60% of which comprises the imported equipment.

At such hard times the current market conditions must contribute to improving performance and efficiency of manufacturing processes at Russian coal companies. Most efficient production management has become the formula for survival for Russian coal companies. However, management must not dwell on only traditional manufacturing processes. We should adopt and adapt the best management practices used by companies that operate in highly competitive industries. Flexibility, a rational approach to the solution to problems and enhanced responsibility for the efficiency of the capital used are still on the list of management priority tasks.

The companies that are afraid of getting rid of non-performing assets with high costs of production and that refrain from making solid investments in the modernization of production are doomed to closure.

5 of Russia’s largest companies that mine thermal coal

Continuous optimization of costs is also of crucial importance. Today’s market conditions make coalers go on an economy drive, which is unusual for many Russian companies.

Today, most of the Russian coal producers are losing money. Over the past few years, the companies’ expenses have increased dramatically, with export prices now recorded at the same level as in the years 2003-2004.

Should the dollar exchange rate be less than the current exchange rate, all the positive effect benefited from the devaluation will be lost. It will adversely affect the business efficiency of Russian coal producers. It is clear that it will result in many Russian coal mining companies being on the brink of bankruptcy. It is management expertise and skills that will show whether or not bankruptcy can be avoided.

24.07.2016. Mining.com

Russian Coal Group has produced more than 6.2 million t of coal during the January to June 2016 period. Sales volumes for 1H16 are 5.7 million t of coal.

From the beginning of 2016 coal miners got new hydraulic excavators Hitachi, dump trucks Belaz, buses, graders and drilling equipment. This helped to make production more efficient and to put into operation new coal layouts.

“Since the beginning of 2016 there has been some recovery on the global coal market. The prices have increased by 1.5 – 2$. But if the dollar falls below the current rate, all the positive effects that was obtained at export sales from devaluation, will be lost”, comments Director General of Russian Coal Group Bilan Uzhakhov.

In 2016 depending on the market situation Russian Coal Group plans to invest in production RUB 1.5 billion. The same investments have been made in 2015.

Sayano-Partizanskiy coal mine which is the part of Russian Coal Group increased production from 500 thousand t to 700 thousand t of coal. This mine is the only in Krasnoyarsk territory where high-quality and high-caloric coal (about 6500 kcal) is produced. Specifications of this coal make it suitable for all international standards of power sector as well as of housing and utilities. 70% of its production is exported to Europe and Asia-Pacific countries.

In 2015 600 thousand t of coal was mined at Sayano-Partizanskiy and in 2016 production volume will reach 700 thousand t. Russian Coal Group plans to increase production capacity of the mine to 3 million t of coal per year. To reach this target new coal layouts are explored and developed and the project of coal refining plant is created.

Now more than 220 people work at Sayano-Partizanskiy coal mine. Car park of the mine consists of tippers belaz, komatsu and Volvo. Mining equipment includes hydraulic and electric excavators, bulldozers and wheel loaders.

This year Sayano-Partizanskiy coal mine will get more new mining equipment including excavators, loaders and sorting complexes.

In 2015 all Russian Coal Group coal mines in Krasnoyarsk territory produced 5.9 million t of coal which is 15% more than in 2014.

In the first half of 2016 coal mines, belonging to Russian Coal Group, in Krasnoyarsk region produced 2.6 million tons of coal. By the end of 2016 Abanskiy, Pereyaslovskiy and Sayano-Partizanskiy coal mines will produce 5.3 million tons.

At the end of 2015 Russian Coal Group completed consolidation with KrasnoyarskCoal company. Thereby production assets of Russian Coal Group are situated now in 3 Russian regions – Amur region, Republic of Khakassia and Krasnoyarsk region.

Coal from Krasnoyarsk mines is delivered to municipal utilities and power generating companies as well as exported to Asia-Pacific countries. Total coal reserves of Krasnoyarsk mines are more than 587 million tons. In prospect Russian Coal Group plans to increase production capacity of Abanskiy, Pereyaslovskiy and Sayano-Partizanskiy coal mines to 10.3 million tons per year.

More than 900 miners are working for Russian Coal Group in Krasnoyarsk region. Company implements numerous social and charitable projects, helping low-income residents, retirees, WWII veterans and developing sports and leisure activities.

“Now global coal industry faces noticeable production crisis. But our positions remain strong because of wide range of products and balanced commercial strategy. I am sure that our leadership in the region will strengthen”, regional Director of Russian Coal Group in Krasnoyarsk Andrew Vaulin comments.