Russian Railways will maintain the coal export quota of at least 54.1 million tonnes from Kuzbass in 2025, but cancel quotas for other regions, Interfax reported on December 27, citing a government meeting.

The export of coal from other regions would be under the terms of the rule of non-discriminatory access to railway routes, it reported.

In the fall of 2024, the Ministry of Energy emphasized the importance of Russian Railways establishing export agreements for coal products in the eastern direction for 2025. This initiative targets all coal-mining regions that have similar agreements in place for 2024, while also suggesting the formation of new agreements towards the northwest and south. Additionally, the ministry proposed reinstating reduction factors and discounts on coal transportation heading westward to encourage shipments to ports in the country's northwest and southern regions.

The energy ministry sees a deterioration in the dynamics of Russian coal exports this year and tries its best to prevent this trend next year, energy minister Sergei Tsivilev told Interfax in mid-December.

The net loss of Russian coal companies in January to October 2024 was 84.8 billion rubles, compared with a profit of 403.2 billion rubles in the same period last year. Coal production fell by 1.4% year on year to 386 million tonnes in January to November 2024, according to Rosstat.