Production chain transformation in the coal industry: Engineering and organization

In view of the energy transition and rejection of nonrenewable energy sources, the Russian coal sector has faced the necessity to adapt to the stringent environmental policies. Most companies now act not on their own but within the fully formed production chains (PC). The sanctions and embargo on Russian coal lead to the interruption of PC in the coal and allied industries, and the ban-related uncertainties arise both on the foreign and domestic markets, which promotes additional risk irreducible without material transformation of PC. This study aims to reveal potential evolutionary trends for PC in the coal and allied industries towards their enhanced stress resilience under risk and uncertainty. Based on the Gereffi–Humphrey– Sturgeon method and the Giannakis–Bruggeman approach, the authors propose a search algorithm for PC transformation in the coal industry. For revealing technologies enabling increased stress resilience of PC and business companies in the coal sector, the authors performed the patent analysis and interviewed expert practitioners in the area of coal mining and processing with respect to the technology availability and relevance. This exhibited a range of the coal mining and deep conversion technologies to make a framework for the stress-resilient production chains. The authors arrive at a conclusion that, despite the current instability, the coal industry is definitely in a position to develop a differentiated approach to transformation of the prevailing production chains.

Goosen E. V., Nikitenko S. M. , Kagan E. S., Rada A. O., Nikitina O. I. Production chain transformation in the coal industry: Engineering and organization. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2023;(3):163-179. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2023_3_0_163.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Grant No. 22–28-01803, and was carried out using equipment of the Shared Use Center at the Kemerovo State University under State Contract No. 075-15-2021-694 concluded between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Kemerovo State University on August 5, 2021, UID RF-2296.61321X0032.

E.V. Goosen¹, Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Assistant Professor, Leading Researcher, e-mail: egoosen@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1387-4802,
S.M. Nikitenko¹, Dr. Sci. (Econ.), Assistant Professor, Chief Researcher, e-mail: nsm.nis@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6684-4159,
E.S. Kagan², Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Head of Chair, e-mail: kaganes@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8470-961X,
A.O. Rada², Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Director, Institute of Digitalization, e-mail: radaartem@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7678-8402,
O.I. Nikitina², Head of Analytics Department, Institute of Digitalization, e-mail: senches@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7869-1732,
¹ Federal Research Centre of Coal and Coal Chemistry, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 650065, Kemerovo, Russia,
² Kemerovo State University, 650000, Kemerovo, Russia.

S.M. Nikitenko, e-mail: nsm.nis@mail.ru.

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