The Role of Russian Coal in Modern World Energy Sector

The primary task of modern society is to ensure energy security and the provision of energy to the countries worldwide. Due to the limited and uneven distribution of traditional energy resources against the background of the desire for economic growth of society, the problem of partnerships between their owners and consumers is becoming increasingly significant. The energy structure of the world economy in the 21st century is going through a series of transformational changes of a different nature: the social culture of resource consumption is changing, new key participants in energy markets are emerging, and a global shift in export-import ties is taking place. These transformations have particularly impacted the reduction in the coal industry’s volume. However, coal remains the most accessible resource for most industrial countries, capable of ensuring the stability of modern energy systems, thereby intensifying competition for markets and sources of coal. Based on general scientific research methods, such as analysis and synthesis of statistical data, data aggregation, it has been established that Russia maintains the leading positions globally in coal reserves, production volumes and exports of coal, but a clear trend towards a reduction in industry indicators is outlined. Consequently, a comprehensive set of measures is necessary to increase Russia’s influence in the global coal market, from coal mining methods and deep coal processing to identifying new promising markets.