Insight
European coal markets and the scramble for Russian import alternatives
*Please note that this report only includes an Excel data file if this is indicated in "What's included" below
Report summary
Europe is on the verge of an unparalleled energy crisis this year, provoked by the war in Ukraine and resulting tensions with Russia. With gas supply at risk, coal generation may now be the key to ensuring reliability in a region that has long sought to end its use. Many European countries are bringing mothballed coal units back online and delaying retirements in an attempt to avoid power outages in the near term. Yet, there are still questions around Europe’s ability to secure adequate coal supply, particularly as the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) are banning Russian coal imports (EU in August and UK after 2022) which represented 70% of EU + UK coal imports last year. Not to mention the incremental coal required for increased coal generation. What are the impacts to the global coal market with the surge in European coal demand and its scramble to find alternative supplies to Russia?
Table of contents
- A history of climate programs targeting the use of thermal coal in Europe
- European natural gas crisis spurs a resurgence in coal generation
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Current challenges for the European coal market
- Thermal coal
- Metallurgical coal
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Will Europe be able to source the coal it requires?
- Thermal coal
- Metallurgical coal
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Are Europe’s climate goals at risk?
- Thermal coal
- Metallurgical coal
Tables and charts
This report includes the following images and tables:
- Timeline of Europe’s previous coal phase-out plan
- European coal generation capacity by country
- 2021 European coal production by rank
- European coal supply
- European thermal coal imports
What's included
This report contains:
