Coal and mining industry reps to meet with Putin at Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to meet with representatives of the national coal and mining industries this week.

The meeting, scheduled to take place on Monday, will bring together more than 500 representatives of coal and mining companies, scientists and veterans of the sector on the eve of the Day of the Miner. The president also had a video conference call with miners working in the Kemerovo region, Norilsk and Yakutia, Itar-Tass reports.

Russia’s Day of the Miner is celebrated on the last Sunday of August. This is the 26th anniversary of the holiday. Festivities are expected to begin in various regions in the coming weeks.

Russia accounts for 9.7 percent of the world’s coal and mining industries, ranking third after the United States and China. Coal production iN Russia has grown 25 percent in the last 10 years, reaching approximately 240 million tons in 2011, according to Itar-Tass.