After EU Enlargement in 2004 and 2007, the economic importance of coal further increased. The EU includes Member States where indigenous coal plays a leading role on the domestic energy market.
In 2014, 26% of electricity generation in the EU-28 was coal-based. In a number of EU Member States, coal accounts for more than 50% of total power generation.
Coal – whether domestic or imported – will continue to make a vital contribution to the security of energy supply, to a diversified energy mix and a sustainable economic development in the EU.
An isolated EU climate policy would result in a greater share of gas in the fuel mix for power generation: geopolitical and price risks would grow, especially in the Member States of Central and South East Europe.
Coal contributes to the creation of employment, added value and wealth. In 2015, the coal industry provided some 185,000 jobs in the EU-28.
EURACOAL supports environmental protection. However, climate protection policies should be designed in a way to enhance investments in the continuous modernisation of coal-fired power plants.
EURACOAL’s 3-step clean coal strategy sees the replacement and modernisation of older coal-fired power plants to improve efficiency and reduce emissions; investment in R&D for the next generation of high-efficiency, flexible coal-fired power plants; and the deployment of carbon capture and storage – one of the most competitive low-carbon options for electricity generation.
The European coal industry is ready to participate constructively in drawing up and implementing this 3-step clean coal strategy.
As the umbrella organisation of the European coal industry, EURACOAL sees itself as “the voice of coal in Europe” and therefore as a partner of policy makers and public authorities for all coal-related issues.