Coal demand will hit a record high in early 2022. Such data on Saturday, December 18, follows from the forecast of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“Depending on weather conditions and economic growth, total demand for coal may reach a new historical record as early as 2022 and remain at that level for the next two years,” the report said.
The IEA believes that by the end of 2021, global coal production will grow by 4.5% – to 7.9 billion tons, which is slightly below the pre-pandemic level. At the same time, coal production in the Russian Federation in 2021, according to the agency’s forecasts, will grow by 9% and amount to 433 million tons.
According to analysts of the agency, the growth in electricity production from coal is due to the rapid recovery of the world economy after the crisis and a sharp increase in demand for electricity, which could not be covered by renewable energy sources.
On September 30, it became known about a request by European electricity producers to increase Russian coal supplies to the European Union in order to cope with the energy crisis amid record high gas prices.
It was noted that the Russian Federation has been cutting coal exports to Europe for many years, since the European Union has closed coal-fired power plants, reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
Bloomberg reported in May that the G7 countries have decided to phase out coal as a fuel, aligning their policies with the targets of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. According to the document, countries around the world must take measures to achieve a common goal – to keep the increase in the global average temperature at 1.5 degrees Celsius per year.
At the end of January, specialists from the Analytical Credit Rating Agency (ACRA) told Izvestia that coal remains the second most important fuel for energy production in the world, but its share has been declining since 2014. Analysts linked the reduction in coal use, in particular, to initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
