Coal Demand Rises, But Remains Below Peak Levels

Coal consumption – U.S. and EU

The world overall has seen coal’s share decline in the overall energy consumption mix. In 2018, coal consumption represented 27.2% of primary energy consumption. That is down from 30% a decade ago. The five countries most dependent on coal for primary energy consumption are:

  1. South Africa – 70.8% of primary energy consumption
  2. China – 58.2%
  3. India – 55.9%
  4. Kazakhstan – 53.4%
  5. Poland – 48.0%

Asia Pacific comes in at 47.5%, while the EU and U.S. are respectively at 13.2% and 13.8%.

China remains firmly in first place as the world’s largest coal consumer and producer. The Top 5 producers, along with the share of global coal production, are:

  1. China – 46.0%
  2. India – 9.5%
  3. US – 8.6%
  4. Indonesia – 6.8%
  5. Australia – 6.1%

Since global energy consumption continues to rise, which energy sources are pushing coal’s share down? The biggest factor in stemming coal’s growth has been rapid growth in natural gas and renewables. Those sources will be covered in the next two articles.

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Author: Robert Rapier

Robert Rapier is a seasoned chemical engineer with three decades of international experience in the energy sector. He holds undergraduate degrees in chemistry and mathematics, and a master’s in chemical engineering. Robert has worked extensively in oil refining, production, synthetic fuels, biomass energy, and alcohol production, earning several patents along the way. As Editor-in-Chief of Shale Magazine and a prolific author for Investing Daily, he shares his expertise through various newsletters and his latest book, American Energy: A History of Power, Progress, and Change. Robert's insights have been featured on 60 Minutes, The History Channel, CNBC, and PBS, among others. His articles have appeared in top publications like the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and The Economist. For nearly a decade, he has covered the energy sector for Forbes.