Coal exports from Russia's Kuzbass region to the east are expected to remain at the 2024 level in 2025, state-run TASS reported, citing Alexander Novak, deputy prime minister of the Russian Federation.

By 2025, coal exports to the east will be no less than 54.1 million tonnes, the level set for 2024, he said.

Russia's state-owned railway operator Russian Railways has completed its plan to export coal to the east from Kuzbass, and the company is expected to export an additional 20 million tonnes products, including ferrous metals and containers, to maintain the current situation. In addition, the company can also transport other cargos, according to Roman Starovoit, the country's minister of transport.

A deal was signed between the Kuzbass government and Russian Railways in December 2023, aiming to export 54.1 million tonnes of coal from the region to the east in 2024.

Almost 97,000 people are employed in coal sector of Kuzbass, while more than 150 coal enterprises, accounting for over 50% of Russia's total coal production, operated there. Many cities in the region have developed around the coal sector, and taxes from the sector represent a significant portion of the local budget.