OREANDA-NEWS. March 24, 2014. Mechel (NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, reports that its subsidiary Мechel Somani Carbon Private Limited launched a screening facility at coal terminal in Vishakhapatnam on India’s east coast.

This will greatly expand Mechel’s capacity for marketing coal on the promising Indian market.

Mechel Somani Carbon Private Limited’s screening facility on the basis of the coal terminal enables the company to sort anthracites supplied by Mechel’s mining enterprises. Its chief consumers are small and medium-sized businesses. The screening facility’s project capacity is set at up to 250,000 tonnes a year.

Mechel gradually increases sales of its coal in India. In 2014, the joint venture plans to market a total of 250,000 tonnes of anthracites, which will make up 20% of India’s anthracite market.

“The Indian market, where demand for coal continues to grow, is of strategic interest to us. As of now, India annually buys 110 million tonnes of steam coal and 40 million tonnes of coking coal. Experts estimate that by 2020 India will be importing up to 120 million tonnes of coking coal of various grades. Considering the favorable forecasts for the future, Mechel’s efforts are aimed not only at building up stable ties directly with all kinds of clients, but also at setting up necessary infrastructure,” Mechel Mining Management Company OOO’s Chief Executive Officer Pavel Shtark noted.