Coal in Europe

Coal in Europe describes coal as energy fuel in Europe today. Article focuses the role of coal in the energy in Europe in the near history and excludes the industrial revolution history. Coal includes hard coal, lignine, brown coal and peat.

Kuzbas in Siberia Russia is one of the largest coal mining areas in the world, ca. 70,000 km²

External costs

WWF ranked Niederaußem lignite power plant by RWE in Köln as the most polluting power plant in Germany in 2007 with the relative emissions of 1.200 g CO2/kWh^[1]

Energy producers have considered coal as the cheapest fuel since politicians and environmental and health regulation have not in full impact delivered the external costs to the producers. Many politicians have worked for the energy companies with high compensations compared to their prior experience in this business field. The more or less ignored external effects include or have included acid rain, smog pollution, respiratory diseases, mining accidents, reduced agricultural yields and climate change.^[2]

According to the Dutch Research Institute CE Delft the worldwide external costs of coal were in 2007 worth of €360 billion and in ten years €3.6 trillion. This exclude costs of accidents and mining damages. Figure is likely underestimated since not all the impacts were assessed, and the costs for climate change are expected to increase in the future. The loss of cultural heritage and human rights violations are virtually impossible to evaluate in a credible manner.^[2]

According to IEA the coal based emissions in 1971-2008 were in the world 303,262 Mt, in the OECD Europe 58,210 Mt (19.2 %) and non OECD Europe 5,086 Mt (1.7 %). Europe here excludes European Russia and all the ex Soviet Union states. Reference provides data to calculations based on other definitions of Europe. Estimated from the coal carbon emissions during1971-2008 the external costs of coal in 2007 were in the OECD Europe €69 billion and in non OECD Europe €6 billion, and about the same each year thereafter.^[3]

Coal supply in the EU

IEA reports the EU 27 data since 1990. EU supply of coal as fuel has reduced from 1990 value of 5,250 TWh to 2009 as 3,135 TWh. The share of own local coal emissions of EU of the world were 14 % in 2000 and 9 % in 2008. The coal use in the EU reduced in eight years to 95 % and increased in the world to 142 % compared to year 2000. In addition to own direct coal use, coal is also consumed via imported goods. In 2009 coal supply in the EU:^[4]

• 1990 - 5,250 TWh
• 1995 - 4203 TWh
• 2000 - 3,700 TWh
• 2003 - 3,794 TWh
• 2006 - 3,739 TWh
• 2007 - 3,779 TWh
• 2008 - 3,499 TWh
• 2009 - 3,135 TWh

Production and import

In 2010 Russia, Kazakhstan and Poland produced most coal in Europe. Major coal importers in 2010 were Germany (45 Mt), Turkey (27 Mt), United Kingdom (26 Mt) and Italy (22 Mt). Major electricity production from coal in 2009 was in Germany (257 TWh), Russia (164 TWh) and Poland (135 TWh).^[5]

Electricity

In 2009 the new electricity capacity in the European Union was 25 GW: wind power 10.2 GW, natural gas 6.6 GW, photovoltage solar power 4.2 GW and coal power 2.4 GW.^[6]

Climate change

Coal burning contributes more to climate change than any other fossil fuel. Climate change is already having a serious social, ecological and economical impact.^[2]

Health impacts

The coal mining industry is seen as the world’s most dangerous industry. In Russia in the Komi Republic, at the centre of the mining industry, occupational diseases are five time more prevalent than in the rest of the Russian Federation. Pneumoconiosis is a particularly common illness. Coal mining liberates methane causing accidents in addition to impacting the climate change. In May 2010 there was a serious coal mine accident in the Kemerov region of Russia. About a hundred miners died in the Raspadskaya mine, the largest in Russia. The accident was caused by a methane explosion.^[7]

Accidents

• 2009 Handlová mine blast
• Raspadskaya mine explosion Russia, 8 May 2010

See also

• Coal mining

* Mine fire

* Mining accident

* Problems in coal mining

* Coal mining in the United Kingdom

References

1. ^ Dirty Thirty, Ranking of the most polluting power stations in Europe 5/2007, WWF
2. ^ ^{a b c} The True Cost of Coal Greenpeace 27.11.2008
3. ^ IEA Key World Energy Statistics 2011 October 2011. Table: CO2 emissions: Sectoral Approach - Coal/peat
4. ^ Energy in Sweden 2010, Facts and figures Table 52 Global supply of coal, 1990–2009 (TWh)
5. ^ IEA Key World Energy Statistics 2011 October 2011
6. ^ Wind in power, 2009 European statistics February 2010, page 6
7. ^ Coal from the East and the South, Responsibility in energy company coal purchases, FinnWatch 23.12.2010