Coal Use Increase Shows Betrayal of Fake Goals

[ronwagn + 6,290]

https://yearbook.enerdata.net/coal-lignite/coal-world-consumption-data.html Worldwide coal use has been increasing while the West bends over backward to pursue clean air and suffers higher prices. 

First increase in coal consumption after 3 years of decline (+0.9%)

In 2017, global coal consumption was spurred by India and Turkey, and by Russia and China to a lesser extent. 
In China, responsible for nearly half of world coal demand, sustained economic growth, higher power consumption and relaxed coal production restrictions contributed to slightly increase coal consumption after three years of decline. Coal thus remains a pillar for the Chinese economy despite structural economic changes (shift away from energy intensive industries to a more services-oriented economy), strong efficiency gains in the manufacturing industry and in the power sector (shut-down of old and inefficient plants) and the government’s willingness to decarbonise the economy and limit air pollution.
Coal demand fell for the 4th year in a row in the United States – 28 GW of coal-fired capacity closed since 2015, no addition in 2017 – and for the 5th year in a row in the European Union (especially in Germany and the UK) due to the closure of many inefficient coal-fired power plants mainly due to stricter environmental regulations. Coal consumption also collapsed in Ukraine as nuclear and hydropower generation increased.

[Sebastian Meana + 278]

Tbh only a few countries will leave coal to replace it with natural gas, outside of some specific countries Coal is going to boom and keep pace with Oil and Gas

Canada: Because it can power the entire country with Hydro and Nuclear
USA: Because the shale boom, can power the entire country with Hydro Nuclear and Geothermal, and because the rare earth production incentives will likely push for the re-nuclearization (Rare earths mines just produce so much thorium and uranium)
Argentina: If they stop giving itself problems they will do the Same as the USA
Germany: Cause is close to Russia and cheap gas is a way for Russia to make an ally
Russia: Same reasoning as the USA, except Russia is already nuclearizing at a pace that not even china can match


There's a misconception that Coal is the cheapest fossil fuel, that's not true, natural gas tends to be cheaper, in the USA natural gas is sold for around 140$/ton while Anthrancite coal is around 98$/ton and a Ton of natural gas is equivalent 1.6 tons of coal, plus Natural gas plants are cheaper to operate, however that's only true in countries that have easy access to natural gas sources either domestic or from nearby producing countries, Russia, USA, Germany, Norway, for countries that have to import natural gas from long distances or worse importing LNG which is nearly 400$ a ton the equation changes drastically. That's why japan is building so many coal plants

What makes coal cheaper is not the fuel, tbh burning solid fuel is a kind of a pain in the ass, what makes it attractive for developing countries is that Coal barely needs infrastructure

Oil needs a production point, needs pipelines, and needs special storage tanks, needs to be shipped in a special kind of ship, and needs a special port, natural gas needs all of that and it needs a pre-existing producing well, a pre-existing treatment plant, a pre-existing pressurized pipeline, and a pre-existing consumer with the pipelines and all sorts of stuff, is a gas is hard and expensive to transport and it needs cryogenic storage and ships, that adds cost. Kenya can't make a state-of the art pipeline system, they would preefer to buy coal from Wyoming and if they need to deliver gas to houses they can convert coal into Town Gas, using XIX century tech.

You can load coal in any average bulk cargo ship, you can unload it in any bulk cargo terminal, you can leave it in the ground is not going to go anywhere, and you can use your preferred method of transport, either is dump truck, or trains, or ships, or whatever is cheaper, and you can use the ashes for making concrete that is stronger than normal portland concrete