Violation of the shipping environment – Newspaper Kommersant No. 192 (7393) dated 10/17/2022

JSC Russian Railways proposes to significantly reduce the volume of coal shipments for export from Kuzbass in the east direction in the coming years, planning the transportation of 56 million tons in 2023 and then determining the indicators based on the requests of other shippers. This is contrary to the presidential decree requiring the export of 63 million tons in 2023 and 68 million tons in 2024, while Kuzbass itself is asking for the export of 73 million tons of coal. The monopoly argues its position with the abundance of new cargoes at the Eastern range, which appeared after the closure of Western export markets. Experts note that the decision on quotas should be taken by the ministries, and in any case, an acceptable alternative should be offered for coal, for example, discounts for transportation to the south and northwest.

Kommersant has read a letter from Oleg Belozerov, Director General of Russian Railways, to First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov dated September 28, asking him to reduce the target for sending Kuzbass coal for export through the Eastern landfill for 2023 by 7 million tons – from 63 million to 56 million tons. This year, the loading will amount to 48.5 million tons against 58 million provided in the presidential decree. The top manager asks to support the amendments to the passport of the second stage of the BAM and Transsib modernization. Russian Railways OJSC assured Kommersant that the planned carrying capacity of the BAM and the Trans-Siberian Railway would remain at the same level. In the secretariat of Mr. Belousov, Kommersant was told that the appeal would be considered “in the appropriate manner.”

The letter explains that under the restrictions, Russian cargo flows have been reoriented to the east. “Over the eight months of this year, export transportation of goods through the Russian Railways network to the northwest and south decreased by 26.3 million tons (by 19.2%) and 8.2 million tons, respectively,” the document says. In the eastern direction, freight transportation is carried out under conditions of full utilization of the existing capacity of the public railway transport infrastructure”.

Since March, transportation to the east has been carried out according to temporary scheduling rules (see Kommersant dated March 15), which establish priority, including for domestic transportation, regardless of the type of cargo, Oleg Belozerov notes. “Approximately 700 companies, some of which were on the verge of a shutdown in the conditions of the closure of Western markets, for the first time received the opportunity to export their products in the direction of the Far East,” the letter says.

Thus, the head of JSC Russian Railways clarifies, the introduction of temporary rules made it possible to save more than 300 thousand jobs, in connection with which about 1 million citizens (including families) received indirect social support by maintaining employment. Accordingly, the volume of transportation of coal from Kuzbass decreased – over eight months by 12.4%, or by 4.1 million tons, to 29.4 million tons.

At the same time, the presidential decree of March 2021 is still in effect to increase export supplies of coal from Kuzbass to the east by 30%, adding 5 million tons per year – up to 63 million tons in 2023 and 68 million tons in 2024 (see. “ Kommersant dated March 2, 2021). According to the letter, and in subsequent years after 2023, it is proposed to annually clarify the parameters for the export of coal “based on the situation with the presentation of other goods for transportation.”

Meanwhile, the authorities of Kuzbass take a diametrically opposite position. Recently, its governor, Sergei Tsivilev, asked to increase the quota for Kuzbass in 2023 for volumes not exported in 2022 – up to 73 million tons (see Kommersant on October 10).

Kommersant’s source in the industry says that the coal lobby has largely lost its initiative due to the disunity of positions and competition between different groups: Kuzbass, Yakutia, and multi-regional suppliers. Russian Railways, therefore, “successfully lobbies its interests related to increasing the marginality of transportation to the east.” At the same time, the monopoly already shows good financial results and successfully satisfies its needs, as evidenced, in particular, by the decision to recapitalize it, the interlocutor of Kommersant emphasizes (see Kommersant on October 14).

The head of Infoline-Analytics, Mikhail Burmistrov, notes that the initiative to reduce the volume of coal exports to the east should not come from Russian Railways, this is the prerogative of ministries and the government, which should choose which industry is more in need of support and what kind. He adds that next year, when the situation at the Eastern range worsens due to increased applications, the need to build and repair the track at the same time, as well as a possible shortage of traction, coal miners will also receive an additional tax burden, while discounts have already been canceled for them. for long distance transportation.

According to the expert, Russian Railways should provide not only an exhaustive justification for the need not to comply with the presidential decree, which has already formed the basis of the investment plans of coal companies, but also a list of alternative options for coal miners: for example, stimulating transportation to the ports of the south or northwest through discounts to the tariff. Refusal to implement the decree, believes Mikhail Burmistrov, “undermines confidence in Russian Railways as a party to take-or-pay and ship-or-pay agreements, and will also have an extremely negative impact on the investment activity of cargo owners, who are already forced to reduce investments in the face of the loss of a number of markets.”

Natalya Skorlygina