BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 27. Coal production in Europe in 2023 is expected to decline by 74 million tons or 21 percent year-on-year, Trend reports.
According to the forecast made by the International Energy Agency (IEA), despite the energy crisis and increased demand for coal-fired power generation, coal production in the EU saw a second consecutive year of growth in 2022, reaching 349 million tons - up by 5 percent year-on-year.
The upswing was primarily fueled by a 7-percent uptick in lignite production, accounting for 84 percent of the EU's total coal production, the agency noted. In contrast, the production of steam coal and metallurgical coal decreased by 4 and 6 percent, respectively.
Germany, holding a 37-percent share, and Poland, with a 31-percent share, stand as the top two coal producers in the EU. Germany, exclusively involved in lignite production, boosted its output to approximately 131 million tons, marking a 4-percent increase. On the other hand, in Poland, the decline in steam coal production (down by 4 percent) and metallurgical coal production (down by 2 percent) offset the growth in lignite production (up by 4 percent).
The surge in coal production was spearheaded by Bulgaria, achieving an impressive 26-percent uptick in lignite production, reaching 36 million tons (a 7 million ton increase). Consequently, Bulgaria surpassed Czechia (35 million tons) to claim the position of the third-largest coal producer in the EU for 2022. In Czechia, the rise in lignite production (up by 14 percent) was somewhat mitigated by declines in metallurgical coal production, resulting in an overall increase of 11 percent.