ENERGO: Global coal use to remain at record high, says IEA

Global coal use rose to a record high in 2022, and with strong growth forecast in Asia for power generation and industrial applications, coal is expected to remain close to an all-time high in 2023 the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicted in a new report published July 27.

Coal consumption internationally climbed to 8.3bn tonnes in 2022, which marked a 3.3% rise on 2021, the IEA reported in its mid-year Coal Market Update.

Looking ahead to 2023 and 2024, the IEA forecasts that a minor drop in coal-fired power generation is anticipated to be offset by a rise in industrial use of coal globally.

The vast majority of coal use is predicted to occur across China, India and Southeast Asian countries, which are forecast to be responsible for three out of every four tonnes of coal used globally in 2023.

Meanwhile, coal use in Europe is expected to decline significantly in 2023 on the back of expanding renewables, combined with nuclear and hydropower recovering partially from recent dips. In the first half of 2023, coal consumption in the EU dipped by 16% compared to the first half of 2022.