Putin worried by dependency of Russian coal industry on exports

MOSCOW, Aug 22 (PRIME) -- Growing dependency of the Russian coal industry on exports creates risks as the external markets are volatile, President Vladimir Putin told governors of the country’s coal-producing regions on Thursday.

“Our consumption grew to 180 million tonnes last year, but we exported 210 million tonnes. The growing dependency on the external markets creates threats and risks, I am talking about volatility of these external markets,” he said.

Logistics conditions of Russian competitors in the sphere – Australia and Indonesia – are better as production centers of these countries are located closer to the transshipment points, and “their logistics component is lesser,” he said.

“We have to take all of this into account while forming our plans,” he said.

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