Kuzbass coal production falls 7% in Jan, exports down 15.5%

KEMEROVO. Feb 26 (Interfax) - Coal mining enterprises of the Kemerovo region mined 15.8 million tonnes of coal in January, down 7% year-on-year, according to the official Telegram channel of the regional Coal Industry Ministry.

A total of 8.2 million tonnes of coal were shipped for export in January 2026, which is 1.5 million tonnes less than in January 2025 (-15.5%). This includes 4.95 million tonnes of coal supplied towards the east (0.27 million tonnes or 5.7% more than in January 2025), 2.05 million tonnes towards the northwest (down by 0.59 million tonnes or 22%), and 1.16 million tonnes towards the south (down by 1.12 million tonnes or 49%).

A total of 14 million tonnes of coal were shipped to consumers by rail in January (down 9.8% or by 1.5 million tonnes), the ministry said.

Coal processing at Kuzbass enterprises, including preparation plants, seasonal processing units and crushing and sorting plants, decreased 7.9% over the reporting period and amounted to 11.9 million tonnes. A total of 81.5% of the mined coal is processed.

The number of workers directly engaged in coal mining and processing amounted to 87,200 people, which is 4,000 less than in January 2025. As previously reported, the figure stood at 87,500 people as of the end of 2025. "This number does not include auxiliary production personnel," the ministry said.