Key facts

  • EURACOAL 45Nine EU Member States mine coal or lignite. Twenty Member States use indigenous and imported coal for power generation. Only Malta reports no coal use.
  • In 2019, 17% of electricity generation in the EU-27 was coal-based. In six EU Member States, coal accounted for more than 25% of total power generation.
  • Coal – whether indigenous or imported – will continue to make a vital contribution to a secure, reliable and diverse energy supply 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.
  • Coal contributes to the creation of employment, added value and wealth. In 2018, the coal industry provided some 163 000 jobs in the EU-27.
  • EURACOAL supports climate and environmental protection with policies that enhance investments in the modernisation of coal-fired power plants.
  • The European coal industry is ready to participate constructively in drawing up and implementing a clean energy transition strategy that makes best use of flexible coal power plants.
  • 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.