Power Engineering International
Summary
Despite a continued decline trend in hard and brown coal production and consumption since 1990, Europe has accelerated its decrease in mining and usage in 2019 owing to various efforts put in place to decarbonise the bloc’s economies, according to the European Commission.
In 2020, the consumption of hard coal declined by 35% compared to 2018 whilst the use of brown coal was reduced by 33%. The production of hard coal declined by 80% compared to 1990 levels with the bloc producing 56 million tonnes.
The decrease can be attributed to a decline in energy demand in 2020 and industry production due to COVID-19, according to the Commission. Only two European countries (Poland {96%} and Czechia) produced hard coal in 2020 compared to 13 countries in 1990.
Only 144 million tonnes of hard coal was consumed in Europe in 2020, a 63% decline from 1990 levels, as more and more countries shift to low-carbon energy resources such as solar, wind, natural gas and hydrogen. The decrease in the production of oven coke, used in various industries such as for the production of iron and steel, also resulted in less hard coal being consumed across the bloc, according to the Commission.
Continue Reading
#News
#Europe
#DistrictHeating