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Coal Factfile
Key points
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Burning coal is the largest source of greenhouse gases globally
Most coal in Britain is used to make electricity
The amount of carbon in the global coal reserve, if released into the atmosphere as CO2, is
enough by itself to cause catastrophic climate change
Background information
Coal is formed from vegetation that was crushed between other layers of rock and altered by the
combined effects of pressure and heat over millions of years.
Current use in world and UK
World
 Coal provides around 30% of global primary energy consumption [2].
 This is mainly used for:
o generating electricity in power stations, with
o large amounts also used in industry [3].
 Coal is the biggest source of energy for generating electricity.
 Since the beginning of the 21st century it has been the fastest-growing global energy
source [23].
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Britain
 In the UK, coal provides nearly 20% of our primary energy.
 Most of this coal is used in power stations to generate electricity.
 Some is used in industry and for heating homes [4].
 Coal-fired power stations, provided about 40% of electricity in 2012 [5,6]
 After many years of decline, coal use in the UK has increased again since 2009 [2].
Climate change and impact on nature
Climate change
 Globally, coal is now the largest source of the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing
climate change.
 Coal is also the fastest growing source of emissions [9].
 Greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy are very high for coal. They are about:
o 330 grams of CO2 (or equivalent greenhouse gas) per kilowatt-hour for the direct
emissions from combustion, or
o 380 gCO2e/kWh if indirect emissions such as those for fuel extraction and
production are included [7].
To ensure all emissions from this energy source are included we use the latter figure.
Since coal-fired power stations in the UK are about 34% efficient [5], the emissions for
electricity from coal in the UK are
1100 grams of CO2 or equivalent greenhouse gas per kilowatt-hour (gCO2e/kWh)
 The exact type of coal being used can have quite an impact on emissions.
 A type of brown coal, called lignite, has even higher emissions [8].
Other environmental impacts
 Burning coal releases sulphur dioxide. This causes acid rain, which:
o damages crops, forests and soils, and
o acidifies lakes and streams.
Sulphur dioxide emissions from power stations can be reduced, but not completely
removed, using technologies such as smokestack scrubbers.
 Coal burning also releases heavy metals such as mercury which can accumulate in
ecosystems [10].
 There is a great deal of evidence that climate change is having an impact on biodiversity so
energy sources that give off a lot of CO2e damage nature indirectly. [26]
Risks
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Extracting coal and burning it for energy poses many risks to human health.
o Mining coal is dangerous and results in high death rates if rigorous safety
precautions are not taken.
o Death can occur from accidents or from excessive exposure to coal dust etc.
Burning coal releases many substances detrimental to human health. These include:
o sulphur and nitrogen oxides that can make asthma worse, and make people more
susceptible to chronic respiratory diseases;
o soot or fly ash that can cause chronic bronchitis and make asthma worse;
o mercury that causes brain damage and heart problems [10].
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Studies suggest that both in Europe and the USA around 15,000 premature deaths a year
could be caused by coal burning, whilst in China the figure may be hundreds of thousands
[11,12,13].
A comparative worldwide study places oil as one of the most dangerous energy sources,
with around 36 deaths per terawatt-hour, compared with 4 for gas, 25 for coal, and 0.15 for
wind [27,28].
In addition, climate change now brings with it huge risks to human health and safety.
Cost now and in the future
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With a wholesale price of about $100 per tonne or 1 pence per kWh, coal is a cheap source
of energy. This is about half the cost of natural gas and a quarter of the cost of oil per unit of
energy.
The cost of coal is not projected to rise by more than about 20% by 2030 [16].
If environmental regulations and carbon taxes are increased in future, coal would become
more expensive to use.
Coal-fired power stations also produce cheap electricity - about 6 pence per kWh for coal
power stations started today.
If the expected cost of carbon taxes are included, the cost increases to over 10 pence per
kWh
Coal generation is predicted to be more expensive than both gas and onshore wind [17,18].
World and UK resource
World
 The proven global reserves of coal are very large at around 900 billion tonnes.
 Annual global consumption of coal was around 8 billion tonnes in 2012, so supply could last
for over a hundred years if we continued using coal at the current rate [2, 14].
 Consumption of coal is increasing and predicted to reach 10 billion tonnes per year by 2020
[14].
 The amount of carbon in the global coal reserve, if released into the atmosphere as CO2, is
enough by itself to cause catastrophic climate change [22].
Britain
 The amount of UK coal reserves are debated and it is important to be clear about the
difference between
o the reserves that are considered economically viable to extract, and
o the resources that are technically extractable.
 The economically viable reserve is estimated at around 230 million tonnes [2].
o This compares with current annual coal production in the UK of 16 million tonnes a
year, and annual consumption of around 60 million tonnes [5].
o The UK is already a large net importer of coal.
o If Britain was just using its own coal this reserve would be used up in four years.
o With the imports Britain could use up most of its economically viable reserves in a
decade or two at current rates of extraction.
 The UK’s technically extractable resource is much larger, estimated at around 3 billion
tonnes [15], but much of it would be more difficult to get out, taking more energy and
costing more.
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Reliability/flexibility
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Coal is an energy dense solid – meaning it contains a lot of energy per unit of weight or
volume. Its energy density by weight is ~24 gigajoule per tonne, and by volume is ~20
gigajoule per m3 [19].
Coal is an easily storable fuel but not the easiest to transport.
While it is fairly energy dense, it is not the easiest fuel to move around, requiring trains,
ships and/or trucks for long distance transport.
Coal is also not an easy fuel to use in engines.
o There is a way to convert coal into a liquid fuel very similar to diesel, so that it can
be used in applications such as transport.
o The process, known as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, has been developed and used in
times when access to oil was limited (such as in wars).
o The process produces a useful liquid fuel that is low in pollutants such as sulphur,
however, the CO2 emissions in its production and use are very high [20].
Coal fired power stations are a very reliable way to produce electricity.
They are also reasonably flexible in their output of electricity, although they can be slower
than some gas power stations to respond to changes in demand (harder to turn up and
down quickly).
Current coal power stations can change their output by about 7% per minute (this is known
as the ramp rate), but some current gas power stations can do it at 20% per minute [21].
Future coal-fired power could be designed to have much more flexibility and higher ramp
rates [24].
Wales
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There is evidence of mining activity in Wales as far back as 1261.
By the 15th century, mines existed across Wales, mostly for use in small-scale industry.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, an export industry developed, mostly around Swansea,
Pembrokeshire and Flintshire.
Welsh coal fields supplied increasing amounts of coal to fuel the industrial revolution from
the 18th century onwards and mining became a hugely important industry in Wales.
Coalfields Wales (date unknown)
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By 1913 a peak figure of 57m tons of coal was produced by 232,000 men working in 620
mines.
After WWII, coal mining reduced, due to an increase in oil power and the development of
coal industries overseas.
On 18th January 2008 Wales’ last deep mine, Tower Colliery, closed.
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Margam opencast mine South Wales
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There are still opencast and “drift” mines in Wales. “A research study commissioned by the
Welsh Government identified 10 active opencast sites and 3 additional sites where planning
permission was being sought at the end of 2013.” [35]
Opencast coal mining activity is particularly concentrated in the South Wales coalfield as
the map below shows.
About 2.3 million tonnes of coal was produced in Wales in 2013 [46]
Open cast mining has a huge impact on the landscape and in terms of noise, dust and the
lives of those living close to extraction sites [39] [38]
Ffos-y-Frân near Merthyr Tydfil is
expected to mine almost 11 million tons
of coal by 2025, producing some 30
million tonnes of CO2 when burned.[11].
This opencast site is just 35 metres
from people’s homes in some places.
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Aberthaw is the last coal fired power station in Wales.
Aberthaw Power Station
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In order to meet climate change targets, the UK government has announced the intention to
phase out existing coal-fired power stations over the next 10-15 years. [1] RWE, owners of
Aberthaw spent “millions of pounds in the construction and operation of a pilot carbon
capture facility in the UK at Aberthaw Power Station in South Wales. This post-combustion
process was designed to capture 50t CO2 per day, which is equivalent to the emissions
from 3 MW of Aberthaw’s 1.5 GW capacity. Following first capture of CO2 in January 2013 a
programme of plant familiarization, optimization and operation was undertaken up until May
2014.” [45]
The European Large Combustion Plants Directive 2008 [4] aims to reduce acidification,
ground level ozone and particles throughout Europe by controlling emissions from energy
generation. This requires the fitting of flue gas desulphurisation equipment. The higher
sulphur content of Welsh coal increases its environmental impact but also cost, through
applying this technology.
Aberthaw power station in South Wales produces the highest C02 emissions in the UK, but,
due to chemical catalysts required to burn local Welsh coal, also emits high levels of NOx,
which causes respiratory problems and lung disease, at 1,000 mg/Nm3. The limit set by the
European industrial emissions directive (IED) is 200 mg/Nm3. Under this new law, the 1,555
MW plant would have to be shut down by 2016.[33]
A very large resource of deep coal has been identified stretching out from Wales under the
Irish Sea. The firm behind the discovery said: “Off Wales as a whole, there is in all
likelihood, more than one trillion tonnes of reserves as yet untouched. “Not all of this would
be usable or accessible, but it is still very large scale.” [43]
Resources
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BBC History of coal http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/industry_coal03.shtml
BBC News 29.5.13 Miller Argent prepares opencast mine site planning bid
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22711013 (Video approx. 3 min news piece). Useful as poses
some good questions.
Open cast mining Wales – About 9 minute slideshow of stills of four Opencast Coal Mining sites in
the Gwendraeth Valley West Wales and covering a period from 1978 to 1995 (Wimpey)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xdEbz5FyI
Open-Cast Coalmining in the South Wales Valleys (2013) Mason, K & Milbourne, P
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/cplan/sites/default/files/CCS-OpenCastCoalmining.pdf
https://www.bgs.ac.uk/downloads/start.cfm?id=2951 p12 Graph of Wales opencast coal
production 1985-201
References
[1] EIA (2013). Coal Explained. United States Energy Information Administration.
http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=coal_home [accessed 8/1/2014].
[2] BP (2013). BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2013. BP.
http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy2013.html [accessed 8/1/2014].
Coal Factfile for Energy Trumps Cards | Centre for Alternative Technology
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[3] IEA (undated). ETP 2012 data visualisation. International Energy Agency. http://www.iea.org/etp/explore/
[accessed 8/1/2014].
[4] DECC (2013). Energy Flow Chart 2012. Department for Energy and Climate Change.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-flow-chart-2012 [accessed 8/1/2014].
[5] DECC (2013). Statistics at DECC. Department for Energy and Climate Change.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/about/statistics
[accessed 8/1/2014].
[6] Elexon (undated). Neta - Electricity summary page. Elexon. http://www.bmreports.com/bsp/bsp_home.htm
[accessed 8/1/2014].
[7] DEFRA (2012). 2012 Guidelines to Defra / DECC's GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting.
Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69554/pb13773-ghgconversion-factors-2012.pdf [accessed 8/1/2014].
[8] ETC/ACC (2003). Comparison of CO2 emission factors for fuels used in Greenhouse Gas Inventories and
consequences for monitoring and reporting under the EC emissions trading scheme. The European Topic
Centre on Air and Climate Change.
http://acm.eionet.europa.eu/docs/ETCACC_TechnPaper_2003_10_CO2_EF_fuels.pdf [accessed 8/1/2014].
[9] Sato, M. and Hansen, J. (undated). Updating the Climate Science. What Path is the Real World
Following? Columbia University Earth Institute. http://www.columbia.edu/~mhs119/ [accessed 8/1/2014].
[10] UCS (2012). Environmental impacts of coal power: air pollution. Union of Concerned Scientists.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02c.html [accessed 8/1/2014].
[11] HEA (2013). THE UNPAID HEALTH BILL: How coal power plants make us sick. The Health and
Environment Alliance. http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/heal_report_the_unpaid_health_bill__how_coal_power_plants_make_us_sick_finalpdf.pdf [accessed 8/1/2014].
[12] CATF (2010). The Toll From Coal: An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America’s
Dirtiest Energy Source. The Clean Air Task Force.
http://www.catf.us/resources/publications/files/The_Toll_from_Coal.pdf [accessed 8/1/2014].
[13] Greenpeace (2013). Interactive Map: Health impact of China's coal plants mapped. Greenpeace.
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/newsdesk/energy/data/interactive-health-impact-chinas-coal-plants-mapped
[accessed 8/1/2014].
[14] WEC (2013). World Energy Resources 2013 Survey: Summary. World Energy Council.
http://www.worldenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/WEC_Resources_summary-final.pdf [accessed
9/1/2014].
[15] UK Coal (undated). World coal statistics. UK Coal. http://www.ukcoal.com/world-coal-statistics.html
[accessed 9/1/2014].
[16] DECC (2013). DECC Fossil Fuel Price Projections. Department for Energy and Climate Change.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212521/130718_decc-fossilfuel-price-projections.pdf [accessed 9/1/2014].
[17] CCC (2010). The Fourth Carbon Budget – reducing emissions through the 2020s. The Committee on
Climate Change. http://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/the-fourth-carbon-budget-reducing-emissions-throughthe-2020s-2/ [accessed 9/1/2014].
[18] DECC (2012). Electricity Generation Costs. Department for Energy and Climate Change.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/65713/6883-electricitygeneration-costs.pdf [accessed 9/1/2014].
[19] The Physics Factbook (2003). Energy Density of Coal. The Physics Factbook.
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/JuliyaFisher.shtml [accessed 9/1/2014].
[20] Biofuels book.
[21] OXERA (2003). The Cost of Flexibility Provision by Electricity Generators. Oxford Economic Research
Associates. http://www.oxera.com/Oxera/media/Oxera/downloads/reports/Cost-of-Flexibility-Provision-byElectricity-Generators.pdf?ext=.pdf [accessed 9/1/2014].
[22] Hansen, J. et al (2013).Climate Sensitivity, Sea Level, and Atmospheric CO2. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 371:
20120294 (31 pp). http://www.columbia.edu/~mhs119/ [accessed 13/1/2014].
Coal Factfile for Energy Trumps Cards | Centre for Alternative Technology
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[23] IEA (undated). topic: coal. International Energy Agency. http://www.iea.org/topics/coal/ [accessed
9/1/2014].
[24] Schultz, S. (2012). Flexible Fossils: A New Role for Coal in German Energy Revolution. Spiegel.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/new-coal-fired-plants-could-be-key-to-german-energy-revolutiona-854335.html [accessed 15/1/2014].
[25] http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmwelaf/177/17704.htm
[26] http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-5145
http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/PDF/Pub10_Bio_&_CC_IACCF_2010_Web.pdf
2014 [accessed 28.1.15]
[27] Starfelt, N. and Wikdahl, C (undated). Economic Analysis of Various Options of Electricity Generation Taking into Account Health and Environmental Effects.
http://manhaz.cyf.gov.pl/manhaz/strona_konferencja_EAE-2001/15%20-%20Polenp~1.pdf [accessed
14/1/2014].
[28] Unnamed (undated). Deaths per TWh for all energy sources. http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/03/deathsper-twh-for-all-energy-sources.html [accessed 14/1/2014].
References for Wales section
[29] WWF Cymru: Coal report poses questions for Welsh Government
10 November 2014 http://www.wwf.org.uk/about_wwf/press_centre/index.cfm?uNewsID=7373
[30] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/24/uk-coal-power-plants-david-cameronun-climate-pledge
[31] Greenpeace UK coal plants could get up to £2.2bn in capacity market subsidies
6.10.14http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/newsdesk/energy/analysis/uk-coal-plants-could-get-£22bncapacity-market-subsidies Accessed 9.12.14
Wales online: Coal & climate change 10.11.14 http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/walesnews/welsh-government-challenged-details-how-8071868 Accessed 9.12.14
[32] http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130822084033/http://www.defra.gov.uk/industrialemissions/eu-international/lcpd/
[33] Guardian 19.8.14 UK lobbying to keep open one of Europe's dirtiest coal power stations
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/19/uk-lobbying-to-keep-open-one-of-europesdirtiest-coal-power-stations Accessed 9.12.14
[34] 9.12.13 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cleaner-greener-future-for-british-coal-plants
9.12.13 Accessed 9.12.14
[35] https://assemblyinbrief.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/opencast-coal-mining-in-wales/
[36] Controversial opencast mine gets the go ahead, with 1.2million tonnes of coal set to be
extracted in five years
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/controversial-opencast-mine-gets-go-7035096
25.4.14 Accessed 9.12.14
[37] Wales Online 16.10.14 Cosmetics firm clashes with open-cast mine over planned expansion in
South Wales
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/cosmetics-firm-clashes-open-cast-mine-6194706
Accessed 9.12.14
[38] BBC News 19.11.3 Nant Llesg opencast plans in Rhymney Valley go on show
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-24992502 accessed 9.12.14 (Radio piece)
[39 ] Open-Cast Coalmining in the South Wales Valleys (2013) Mason, K & Milbourne, P
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/cplan/sites/default/files/CCS-OpenCastCoalmining.pdf Accessed 9.12.14
[40] December 2012 Electricity generation and supply figures for Scotland, Wales, Northern
Ireland and England, 2008 to 2011 From (DUKES) 2012
[41] 19.11.13 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-24992502 Accessed 16.12.14
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[42] 25.4.14 http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/controversial-opencast-mine-gets-go7035096 Accessed 16.12.14
[43] http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/now-king-coal-set-rule-6923421 6.4.14]
Offshore coal reserves
[44]Minerals Coal Technical Advice Note 2
http://wales.gov.uk/docs/desh/policy/090120coalmtanen.pdf
[45] https://www.rwe.com/web/cms/en/2756/rwe/innovation/projects-technologies/powergeneration/fossil-fired-power-plants/co2-removal-uk/
[46] https://www.bgs.ac.uk/downloads/start.cfm?id=2951 p12 Graph of Wales opencast coal
production 1985-2013
Coal – background information for Energy Trumps cards. Full resource available as free download
at http://learning.cat.org.uk/en/resources
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