According to the announcement by the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a comprehensive set of measures aimed at developing coal exchange trading in the country will be implemented in 2024. These measures include tightening requirements for exchanges and expanding access to trading.
Until 2022, major producers of municipal coal, such as “Karazhyra” and “Shubarkol Komir,” sold it through unproductive intermediaries, accounting for up to 97% of sales volume. The subsequent resale of coal to end retail sellers with an average markup of 40-45% also became problematic.
To overcome these intermediary schemes and ensure direct access to coal producers, a requirement was introduced in 2021 to sell a portion of the coal at exchange auctions directly to end consumers. The share of this is planned to be increased to 80%.
In addition, the Agency intends to conduct an analysis of competition in the wholesale coal market to regulate coal sales outside exchanges and prioritize deliveries to qualified suppliers.
