Russia’s policy in the coal sector in the context of Energy Transition

In this article, the authors discuss Russia's approach to coal in the context of the climate agenda and explain the reasons why Russia will not abandon coal mining in the next 20-30 years. These reasons include the demand in international markets (international market fundamentals), desire for profit from companies, regional leaders, and governments (economic factor); the need to ensure energy security in certain regions in the East (political-economic factor); the presence of single-industry towns that currently rely solely on coal exports (domestic political factors); and the prospect of coal remaining highly competitive and the potential for cost reduction in the future (Sakhalin, Yakutia). Additionally, Russia is not being offered assistance by any external players in a "just" transition to an energy sector without coal mining.