The Importance of Coal in the Modern World

Global

(Reference: World Coal Institute - Key Facts About Coal Section www.wci-coal.com)

Coal is mined in 50 countries
Coal is the single largest fuel source for the generation of electricity world wide
Coal is the safest fossil fuel to transport, store and use
Over 23% of primary energy needs world wide are met by coal
38% of global electricity is generated from coal. Australia, Poland, South Africa and China all rely on coal to produce over three quarters of their electricity, India over 60%, and the USA and Germany more than half.
70% of global steel production depends on coal feedstock, with almost 600 million tonnes of coal being used in steel blast furnaces. Further quantities of coal provide much of the electricity used to power electric arc furnaces to produce the balance of global steel production.
Global hard (black) coal production has grown by almost 50% in the last 25 years to 3,639Mt. Top 5 major producers include China 1171Mt, USA 899Mt, India 310Mt, Australia 259Mt, and South Africa 225Mt.
Brown coal/lignite production totalled 895Mt in 2000, with Germany, Greece and North Korea among the leading producers and consumers

(Reference: Dept of Industry, Science & Resources - Energy Minerals Branch "Australia’s Export Coal Industry" Book 6th Edition 2001)

Australia is the world's largest exporter of black coal, a position it has held since 1984
Australia has more than 42 billion tonnes of economically recoverable reserves of black coal throughout Australia, but the production for export markets is currently based on deposits in Queensland and New South Wales.

(Reference: Commonwealth Department of Industry, Tourism & Resources - Coal Industry Section www.industry.gov.au)

Australia is the fourth largest coal producer in the world
Produced 258.5 million tonnes of coal in 2000/01, of which nearly 230 million tonnes was saleable coal
Coal is Australia's largest export commodity
Australia exports 75% of its production, making the country the largest coal exporter in the world - a position Australia has held since 1986
Exports of 193.6 million tonnes in 2000/01 were worth $10.8 billion or 10% of Australia's merchandise trade
Provides about 85% of Australia's electricity generation requirements
Coal Industry employs 18,840 workers directly and many more indirectly
Productivity has increased by 15% annually since 1996/97
Australian coals have environmental benefits such as high energy content, low levels of sulphur, nitrogen and ash
Australia has about 77 billion tonnes of coal resources
The Asian market accounts for 80% of Australian coal exports with the top three markets being Japan (47%), Korea (12%) and Taiwan (9%)
In the Metallurgical coal market, Australia is competitive in exporting coal to the Asian region and Europe.
In the Thermal coal market, Australia is competitive in exporting coal to the Asian region, with its main competitors being China and Indonesia. Australia is less competitive in exporting coal to the European market due to shipping distances, and as such the main competition is from South Africa, Colombia, USA, and the Russian Federation.

(Reference: Australian Coal Report (ACR) August 2002 edition produced by Barlow Jonker)

(Reference: Gladstone Port Authority (GPA) www.gpa.org.au)

Port of Gladstone has two export coal terminals: RG Tanna Coal Terminal (RGTCT) and Barney Point Terminal (BPT) that are owned and operated by the Gladstone Port Authority
Coal is exported from 10 mines located in the Bowen Basin area
Coal is the Port of Gladstone's largest export commodity
Coal exports of 37.5 million tonnes in 2001/02 were worth $2 billion and accounted for 63% of total port throughput.
Coal is exported to 36 countries, of this the top 5 are: Japan, India, Korea, Taiwan and the Netherlands.
Port of Gladstone is the 2nd largest coal export port in Queensland, the 3rd largest coal export port in Australia, and the 4th largest coal export port in the World