COAL INDUSTRY ACROSS EUROPE 2011

摘要

Over the last decade, coal has been the fastest-growing source of primary energy, fuelling economic development in many emerging economies, notably in China. It is an important fuel for power generation and underpins competitive electricity prices in many countries. Coal and lignite mining remains a significant industry across the EU, with an output of 531 million tonnes in 2010 meeting 60% of coal demand and employing over 250 000 people. The remaining 40% of demand was met by imported coal from a well-functioning international market. Despite the clear economic and energy security benefits that coal brings, EU energy and environmental policies pose many challenges for the future of coal. Ambitious CO_2 emission reduction targets mean that coal must be used more efficiently and new technologies deployed that capture and store CO_2 safely underground. With its efficient coal and lignite mines, supplying the competitively priced fuels that consumers demand, the European coal industry is well placed to face these challenges. This paper presents facts and figures on the coal industry across the EU-27 and the related Energy Community countries, and explores the global context to better understand coal market and policy developments. The paper is based on a report, Coal Industry across Europe 2011, published by the European Association for Coal and Lignite (EURACOAL, 2011a). The Association serves the interests of 35 members from 20 countries: coal producers, coal importers, coal traders and coal users.