

(Posted on 22/01/19)
According to provisional calculations by the German Coal Importer Association (VDKi), hard coal world trade in 2018 rose by 3.7% to 1,202 million tonnes while global hard coal production increased by 1.7% to 7.1 billion tonnes. India’s production alone rose by 54 million tonnes (8.2%) to 714 million tonnes. Seaborne exports in Australia, Indonesia, Russia and the USA (i.e. in all important export countries) increased.
The large producing countries China and India are simultaneously large consumers of import coal and important pillars of hard coal world trade. The growth in hard coal world trade is also a result of the growing demand in South-east Asia.
The German hard coal imports moved contrary to the global trend and fell massively by 7 million tonnes (about 13%). While imports of coking coal fell by 5%, the imports of steam coal collapsed by 17%. The causes for the collapse are the growing electric power generation from renewable energy sources and the heightened competition with natural gas after the strong rise in the CO2 price.
These figures more than clearly demonstrate that the exit from hard coal-fired generation of electric power is already reality in Germany. Nevertheless, the existing hard coal- and natural gas-fired power plants will be needed to balance fluctuations in the feed-in from renewable energy sources as long as there are no practical and competitive means of storage. The Commission Growth, Structural Transformation and Employment (“Coal Commission”) should therefore pay attention to establishing a target path that can be realised practically when making the decisions on the upcoming agenda and demonstrate appreciation for the emissions reductions already achieved by hard coal.
The Coal Importer Association, Berlin, represents the political and commercial interests of at present 59 members (i.e.utilities, industrial users of coal, traders, and companies engaged in coal logistics). Reports are published annually. Statistics on German imports and price development are compiled and published as "Market Information".
Rio Tinto has successfully completed the full transition of its heavy machinery from fossil diesel to... Read more
Rio Tinto plans to invest US$395 million1 in a seawater desalination plant in the Pilbara, Western Australia... Read more
A new collaboration between BHP and Microsoft has used artificial intelligence and machine learning... Read more
Bunge and Nutrien Ag Solutions, the retail division of Nutrien Ltd. have announced a strategic alliance... Read more
Vale has concluded the shipment of its first cargo of iron ore briquettes to be tested in a blast furnace... Read more
The UK Government's decision to abandon plans to review all EU-derived legislation by the end of 2023... Read more
The USA’s National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and 42 other agricultural groups have expressed... Read more
BHP has announced the completion of the OZ Minerals acquisition and implementation of the scheme of... Read more
ADM, global leader in nutrition, and one of the leading flour millers in the UK, has for the first time... Read more
Speaking on behalf of the American Soybean Association and his fellow soy growers, ASA President Daryl... Read more