MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. The target scenario of Russia’s updated coal industry development program through 2050 includes increasing production to 660 mln metric tons and exports to 350 mln metric tons, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said at a government meeting.

"The government has approved the updated coal industry development program through 2050. It is aligned with the energy strategy and has been calculated under four scenarios depending on global demand for coal. The target scenario includes increasing production to 660 mln tons and exports - to 350 mln tons," Novak said.

He noted that the program is based on a new investment cycle covering six areas. These include developing promising deposits and establishing new production centers in the east of the country - in Yakutia, Tuva, Khakassia, Trans-Baikal Region, Taimyr, and Chukotka; developing domestic consumption while maintaining the share of coal-fired power generation and advancing coal chemistry; increasing exports and expanding the Eastern Range, strengthening cooperation with China and India, and boosting supplies to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Other areas include safety and environmental protection, as well as social stability and workforce development, including diversifying the economies of single-industry towns and completing the restructuring of the coal mine network, including in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

Novak said earlier that Russia’s coal production totaled 440 mln tons in 2025. According to Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev, exports rose by 7% last year to 211 mln tons.