OREANDA-NEWS. The era of coal can end only by the end of this century, and there can be no quick rejection of this type of fuel. Such terms in an interview with RIA Novosti were named by Sergei Mochalnikov, Director of the Department for Foreign Economic Cooperation and Development of Fuel Markets of the Ministry of Energy of Russia.

According to him, so far there is no such technological breakthrough in the world that would make it possible to radically restructure the energy sector with a sufficient level of reliability and at an affordable price. And what happens in rich countries is often beyond the reach of the poor.

Mochalnikov noted that coal continues to be one of the cheapest types of energy, and countries with an energy deficit simply have nowhere to go. Until 2040, the Russian official is sure that this type of fuel will remain on the list of basic elements of the energy balance.

Later, as he suggests, the development of technology will bring the energy sector to a fundamentally different level, but not very quickly. "Energy transition is not a jump, it is a marathon, and every step in it must be verified," Mochalnikov emphasized.

Coal is currently the most harmful fuel in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, Western countries and China are announcing plans to phase out its use, but in recent months, coal consumption has begun to rise. The reason for this was a sharp rise in the price of natural gas.

Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said that in 2021 the volume of Russian coal supplies to Europe increased by 12 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, Russia began to help China with coal.