ABSTRACT
Industrial-Ecological Laboratory, The Centre for Monitoring the Socio-Ecological Consequences
of Closing the Eastern Donbass Coal Mines Ltd
The established approach to the development of market relations in the T E C (technical and econo-
mic complex) of Russia resulted in essential change of fuel and energy balance of the country where
in 2004 the share of petroleum and gas made up more than 80%, whereas the share of coal is
reduced to a critically dangerous level - 12-14%. A t the same time certain mining-geological and
investment problems are aggravating and the tendency of the rapidly exhausting natural gas and
petroleum prices to rise at the home market is steady. This w i l l inevitably result in the necessity of
their partial replacement with coal.
