Coal in Europe
Encyclopedia
Coal in Europe describes coal
as energy
fuel in Europe
today. Coal includes hard coal, brown coal, and lignite
.
Coal production in Europe is falling, and imports exceed production. If production and consumption continue at the present rate, proven and economically recoverable world reserves would last for about 150 years. According to IEA Coal Information (2007) world production and use of coal have increased considerably in recent years. 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
.
and peat
. Coal from fields differ in ash and moisture content, energy value, volatile elements, sulphur content etc. Hard coal is a relatively high value coal, while brown coal has a lower energy content and higher moisture content. Hard coal can be divided in coking coal, used in the iron and steel industry, and steam coal for energy purposes.
was 25 GW: 10.2 GW from wind power
, 6.6 GW from natural gas
, 4.2 GW from photovoltage solar power
, and 2.4 GW from coal power.
emissions, has been attacked for its detrimental effects on health. Coal has been linked to acid rain
, smog
pollution, respiratory diseases, mining accidents, reduced agricultural yields and climate change
. Proponents of coal downplay these claims and instead advocate the low cost of using coal for energy. Many European countries, such as Italy, have turned to coal as natural gas and oil prices rose.
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 "clean coal
" 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 clean coal argue that it can effectively eliminate coal's contributions to climate change, while opponents doubt whether it can be done on a large scale.
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
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 worlwide, 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.
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
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
as energy
World energy resources and consumption
]World energy consumption in 2010: over 5% growthEnergy markets have combined crisis recovery and strong industry dynamism. Energy consumption in the G20 soared by more than 5% in 2010, after the slight decrease of 2009. This strong increase is the result of two converging trends...
fuel in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
today. Coal includes hard coal, brown coal, and lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
.
Coal production in Europe is falling, and imports exceed production. If production and consumption continue at the present rate, proven and economically recoverable world reserves would last for about 150 years. According to IEA Coal Information (2007) world production and use of coal have increased considerably in recent years. 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
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
.
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:- 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
Coal types
Coal includes hard coal, brown coal, ligniteLignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
and peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
. Coal from fields differ in ash and moisture content, energy value, volatile elements, sulphur content etc. Hard coal is a relatively high value coal, while brown coal has a lower energy content and higher moisture content. Hard coal can be divided in coking coal, used in the iron and steel industry, and steam coal for energy purposes.
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).Electricity
In 2009 the new electricity capacity in the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
was 25 GW: 10.2 GW from wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
, 6.6 GW from natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, 4.2 GW from photovoltage solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
, and 2.4 GW from coal power.
Opposition
Coal, as the largest artificial contributor to carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
emissions, has been attacked for its detrimental effects on health. Coal has been linked to acid rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
, smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
pollution, respiratory diseases, mining accidents, reduced agricultural yields and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. Proponents of coal downplay these claims and instead advocate the low cost of using coal for energy. Many European countries, such as Italy, have turned to coal as natural gas and oil prices rose.
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 "clean coal
Clean coal
Historically used to refer to technologies for reducing emissions of ash, sulfur, and heavy metals from coal combustion; the term is now commonly used to refer to carbon capture and storage technology...
" technology, which often refers to carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
, 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 clean coal argue that it can effectively eliminate coal's contributions to climate change, while opponents doubt whether it can be done on a large scale.
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
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
or human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
violations that occur as a result of coal production. According to IEA the coal based emissions in 1971-2008 were 303,262 Mt worlwide, 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.
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.
Accidents
- Gleision Colliery mining accidentGleision Colliery mining accidentThe Gleision Colliery mining accident is a mining accident which occurred on 15 September 2011 at the Gleision Colliery, a drift mine in the Swansea Valley of South Wales. The accident occurred while seven miners were working with explosives on a narrow coal seam. Following an initial explosion the...
UK September 2011 - Suhodolskaya-Vostochnaya coal mineSuhodolskaya-Vostochnaya coal mineThe Suhodolskaya-Vostochnaya coal mine is a large underground coal mine located in the south-east of Ukraine in Lugansk Oblast. Suhodolskaya-Vostochnaya represents one of the largest coal reserves in Ukraine having estimated reserves of 157.4 million tonnes...
Ukraine July 2011 - 2010 Zonguldak mine disaster2010 Zonguldak mine disasterThe 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....
Turkey May 2010 - Raspadskaya mine explosion Russia, May 2010
- 2009 Wujek-Śląsk mine blast2009 Wujek-Śląsk mine blastThe 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 and at least 37 more were hospitalised. It is the country's deadliest mining accident since the deaths of 23 miners from methane at the...
Poland, September 2009 - 2009 Handlová mine blast2009 Handlová mine blastThe 2009 Handlová mine blast occurred in the Handlová coal mine, Trenčín Region, Slovakia, on the morning of 10 August 2009. Twenty people were killed, nine others suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital. All are thought to be Slovaks. The incident is the deadliest mining disaster in...
Slovakia, August 2009 - Petrila Mine disasterPetrila Mine disasterOn November 15, 2008, 12 miners died after two explosions at a mine in Petrila, one of six coal mining cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County, Romania...
Romania November 2008 - 2008 Ukraine coal mine collapse2008 Ukraine coal mine collapseThe 2008 Ukrainian coal mine collapse occurred at the Karl Marx Coal Mine in the city of Yenakiieve, Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine on June 8, 2008. The mine collapse was said to have been caused by a gas pipe explosion. The explosion occurred at a depth of about . 37 miners were trapped...
Ukraine June 2008 - 2007 Zasyadko mine disaster2007 Zasyadko mine disasterThe 2007 Zasyadko mine disaster was a mining accident that happened on November 18, 2007 at the Zasyadko coal mine in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.At present, 101 miners are dead:the worst accident in Ukraine’s history...
Ukraine November 2007 - Yubileynaya mineYubileynaya mineThe Yubileinaya mine is a coal mine in the Kemerovo Oblast area of Siberia, Russia. The mine is operated by Yuzhkuzbassugol, part owned by the Evraz Group who plan to take full ownership....
Russia May 2007 - Ulyanovskaya Mine disasterUlyanovskaya Mine disasterThe Ulyanovskaya Mine disaster was caused by a methane explosion that occurred on March 19, 2007 in the Ulyanovskaya longwall coal mine in the Kemerovo Oblast. At least 108 people were reported to have been killed by the blast, which occurred at a depth of about 270 meters at 10:19 local time...
Russia, March 2007 - Luisenthal Mine Germany February 1962
- MarcinelleMarcinelleMarcinelle is a Walloon town in the Belgian province of Hainaut, it is currently a municipality within the Charleroi borders. Until 1977, the town was a municipality of its own....
Belgium August 1956 - Courrières mine disasterCourrières mine disasterThe Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst mining accident, caused the death of 1,099 miners in Northern France on 10 March 1906. This disaster was surpassed only by the Benxihu Colliery accident in China on April 26, 1942, which killed 1,549 miners...
France March 1906
See also
- Coal miningCoal miningThe goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
- Mine fireMine fireA coal seam fire or mine fire is the underground smouldering of a coal deposit, often in a coal mine. Such fires have economic, social and ecological impacts...
- Mining accidentMining accidentA mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
- Problems in coal miningProblems in coal miningCoal mining cannot be done everywhere with coal, due to certain geological restrictions.-Faulting:If the coal seam reaches a fault, the seam may be significantly displaced, depending on the type of fault and its offset. Machinery trying to mine the coal may not be able to reach the displaced seam,...
- Coal mining in the United KingdomCoal mining in the United KingdomCoal mining in the United Kingdom probably dates to Roman times and took place in many different parts of the country. Britain's coalfields are associated with Northumberland and Durham, North and South Wales, Yorkshire, Scotland, Lancashire, the East and West Midlands and Kent. During the 1980s...