Coal in Europe describes the use of coal as an

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...

fuel in Europe. Coal includes

hard coal Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the high ...

, black coal, and brown coal. Coal production in Europe is falling, and imports exceed production. There is, however, growing controversy in Europe over the use of coal, as many denounce it for reasons such as health risks and links to

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

Coal supply in the EU

International Energy Agency The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the entire global energy sector, with a recent focus on curbing carb ...

reports data for EU28 countries since 1990. According to IEA, EU28 countries use of coal as fuel went from 5,289 TWh in 1990 to 3,057 TWh in 2015, a reduction of 42%. During the same period, coal use in the world increased by 73%. EU28 use of coal: * 1990 – 5,289 TWh * 1995 – 4,246 TWh * 2000 – 3,735 TWh * 2005 – 3,702 TWh * 2010 – 3,293 TWh * 2015 – 3,057 TWh

Coal types

Coal includes

anthracite Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the hig ...

bituminous coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the seams. It ...

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

, and peat. Coal from fields differ in ash and moisture content, energy value, volatile elements, sulphur content, and other properties. Anthracite and bituminous coal are relatively high value compared to lignite and peat, which have lower energy and higher moisture contents. Coal is often used in the iron and steel industry, or to produce energy.

Production and import

Russia (365 Mt), Germany (176 Mt) and Poland (131 Mt) are the largest producers of coal in Europe as of 2016. Largest net importer was Germany with 53 Mt, and the largest net exporter was Russia with 147 Mt. Largest electricity production from coal in 2016 were in Germany (284 TWh), Russia (159 TWh) and Poland (133 TWh).

Electricity

In 2020 think tank Carbon Tracker estimated that over 80% of coal-fired plants were already more expensive than new renewables and that all of them would be by 2025.

Opposition

Coal, as the largest artificial contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, has been attacked for its detrimental effects on health. Coal has been linked to

acid rain Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid ...

, smog pollution,

respiratory diseases Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, br ...

mining accidents A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although accidents also occur in hard rock mining. ...

, reduced agricultural yields and climate change. The True Cost of Coal
Greenpeace 27 November 2008 Proponents of coal downplay these claims and instead advocate the low cost of using coal for energy. Coal technology has also advanced over the years, and emissions of soot and gases released in the burning of coal have been greatly reduced. New

coal pollution mitigation Coal pollution mitigation, sometimes called clean coal, is a series of systems and technologies that seek to mitigate the health and environmental impact of coal; in particular air pollution from coal-fired power stations, and from coal burnt b ...

technology, which often refers to carbon capture and storage, is a new and still-developing technology that seeks to capture carbon dioxide from power plants, and prevent it from entering the atmosphere by storing it. Proponents of this approach argue that it can effectively eliminate coal's contributions to climate change, while opponents doubt whether it can be done on a large scale.Rosenthal, Elisabet
Europe Turns Back to Coal, Raising Climate Fears
23 April 2008 ''The New York Times'' 24 November 2011 The Dutch Research Institute CE Delft estimates that the worldwide "external costs", or hidden costs, of coal in 2007 were €360 billion, excluding the costs of accidents, mining damages, and any loss of

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...

or human rights violations that occur as a result of coal production. According to IEA the coal based emissions in 1971–2008 were 303,262 Mt worldwide, 58,210 Mt (19.2%) in OECD Europe, and 5,086 Mt (1.7%) in non-OECD Europe. Europe here excludes European Russia and all the ex-Soviet states. The estimated external costs of coal carbon emissions in 2007 were €69 billion in OECD Europe and €6 billion in non-OECD Europe. On 20 June 2022, Dutch climate and energy minister

Rob Jetten Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten (; born 25 March 1987) is a Dutch politician of Democrats 66 (D66). He served as the party's parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives. Early life and education Jetten grew up in Uden, Noord-Brabant and ...

announces that the Netherlands will remove all restrictions on the operation of

coal-fired power station A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide, there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts Nameplate capacity, capacity. They ...

s until at least 2024, in response to Russia's refusal to export natural gas to the country. Operations were previously limited to less than a third of the total production. The coal mining industry also has occupational hazards. In the Komi Republic, Russia, at the centre of the mining industry, occupational diseases are five time more prevalent than in the rest of the Russian Federation. Accidents are also known to happen in coal mines, caused by the liberation of methane from mining.Coal from the East and the South
Responsibility in energy company coal purchases, FinnWatch 23 December 2010

Accidents

Gleision Colliery mining accident The Gleision Colliery mining accident was a mining accident which occurred on 15 September 2011 at the Gleision Colliery, a drift mine at Cilybebyll in Neath Port Talbot, in Wales. The accident occurred while seven miners were working with explosiv ...

UK September 2011 * Suhodolskaya-Vostochnaya coal mine Ukraine July 2011 *

2010 Zonguldak mine disaster The 2010 Zonguldak mine disaster occurred in Zonguldak Province, Turkey, on May 17, when 30 miners died in a firedamp explosion at the Karadon coal mine. The mine is operated by the state-owned Turkish Coal Corporation (Türkiye Taşkömürü K ...

Turkey May 2010 * Raspadskaya mine explosion Russia, May 2010 *

2009 Wujek-Śląsk mine blast The 2009 Wujek-Śląsk mine blast occurred at the Wujek-Śląsk bituminous coal mine in Ruda Śląska, Poland on 18 September 2009. At least 20 miners were killed (12 died in coal mine, 8 in hospitals) and at least 37 more were hospitalised. It i ...

Poland, September 2009 *

2009 Handlová mine blast The 2009 Handlová mine blast occurred on 10 August 2009 roughly 330 metres (1,080 ft) underground in Trencin Region, Slovakia at Hornonitrianske Bane Prievidza, a.s.s (HNB) coal mine located in the town of Handlová. 20 people were kille ...

Slovakia, August 2009 * Petrila Mine disaster Romania November 2008 *

2008 Ukraine coal mine collapse The 2008 Ukrainian coal mine collapse occurred at the Karl Marx Coal Mine in the city of Yenakiieve, Donetsk Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine on June 8, 2008. The mine collapse was said to have been caused by a gas pipe explosion. The exp ...

Ukraine June 2008 *

2007 Zasyadko mine disaster The 2007 Zasyadko mine disaster was a mining accident that happened on November 18, 2007 at the Zasyadko coal mine ( uk, Шахта ім. Засядько) in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. By November 30, 101 miners were reported ...

Ukraine November 2007 * Yubileynaya mine Russia May 2007 * Ulyanovskaya Mine disaster Russia, March 2007 * Luisenthal Mine Germany February 1962 *

Marcinelle mining disaster The Marcinelle mining disaster (french: Catastrophe de Marcinelle) was a major mining accident, which occurred at the Bois du Cazier coal mine at Marcinelle, Hainaut Province, in Belgium, on 8 August 1956. It was caused by an underground electri ...

Belgium August 1956 * Courrières mine disaster France March 1906

Climate change

Annual coal carbon emissions (2005–2008 average) were highest per capita in Europe in Czech Republic 7.4, Kazakhstan 6.9, Poland 5.5, Finland 4.8, Serbia 4.5 and Germany 4.1.

References

External links

EU Coal Regions in Transition

Climate Action Network Europe: Coal Phase Out

Europe Beyond Coal

European Coal Map

Climate Analytics

Powering past coal alliance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coal in Europe *Europe European Coal and Steel Community