Following the decision of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to phase out nuclear energy and switch to cleaner energy generation, coal consumption has been steadily increasing. A 2,200 MW lignite-fired power plant, near Cologne, started its activity last week as part of the country’s energy policy.
read more... 20/08/2012
According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China, the world's top coal producer and consumer, sets coal output targets for 2012 at top three producing regions at 3.65 billion tons, down as much as 7 percent in comparison to 2011. The cuts are partially intended to help stabilize domestic coal prices as demand has fallen sharply due to the slowing economy.
read more... 15/08/2012
The EU’s first hard coal producer, Kompania Weglowa, has delayed the construction of its coal-fired power plant in 2020, with two years of delay. The 1000 MW power plant will cost about 5 billion Zloty (1.5 Billion dollars), and will burn between 2.5 and 3.5 million tons per year of hard coal producing roughly 5-7 TWh per year.
read more... 09/08/2012
The demand for coal surged 3.3% last year in Europe, while the coal imports from U.S. producers such as Arch Coal Inc. (ACI) has cut prices by 26% in a year.
read more... 09/07/2012
U.S. coal use is declining as utilities switch to cleaner and cheaper alternatives.
read more... 13/06/2012