Lignite industry of Russia: peculiarities of the development concept

Abstract

A long-term development concept for Russia’s lignite industry has been presented, developed based on a comprehensive evaluation of active coal mining companies. The economic indicators of 48 Russian companies engaged in lignite mining were analyzed, both nationally and regionally, allowing for specific provisions of the concept to be formulated accounting for the spatial development of industry companies.The relevance of this work is due to the high strategic significance of the lignite industry for the country’s economy, which is in ensuring energy security for the Far East and Siberia on a long-term perspective of up to the depletion of explored lignite reserves in 1137 years with the current level of mining. Despite the high strategic importance of the industry, there is a risk of a decrease in its role in the country’s economic development, as the industry has faced several internal and external challenges. These challenges require a quick response to prevent potential damage they may cause.The results of the analysis of the current state of Russia’s lignite industry are presented in terms of the distribution of explored lignite reserves, the territorial localization of active coal mining organizations, their production and economic conditions, and their associations with the external environment. Based on the results of the analysis, a concept and principles for industry development have been formulated. The concept involves increasing lignite mining in the Far Eastern Federal District and maintaining the volume of mining in the Siberian Federal District, achieved through creating necessary conditions for economic development, including diversification of products produced from lignite.