Once it leaves the mine – on conveyor belts or trucks – the coal is usually transported to the nearest harbour. Many mines have their own railway lines, or even ports and shipping terminals, not only for exporting coal, but also to transport supplies and machinery to the mine. In Colombia, for instance, trains connecting the Cerrejón mine to the port 150km away operate 24 hours a day.  The mining region in El Cesar, Colombia, is also connected to the sea by an approximately 200km railway line....

In most European countries, electricity demand has been stagnating or even declining for decades. Renewables and gas are supplying ever greater proportions of what is consumed, and higher CO2 trading prices (a tax on production of CO2) in Europe have dis-incentivised coal use. This has led to falling demand for coal Europe – exacerbated in 2020 by the Covid- 19 pandemic. But coal is still used more than is often thought. Poland is Europe’s chief coal consumer with 78.3 percent of its...

The largest and dirtiest hard coal power station in Europe (in terms of CO2 emissions) is Kozienice, located ten kilometres from the small town with the same name in central Poland. It is run by the Polish company Enea. It ranks third in sulphur dioxide emissions (see below) and second in terms of NOx released in 2017. It runs at an efficiency rate of 45.59 percent. Combined, Enea’s Kozienice and Polaniec power stations released over 17 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019, almost a fifth of Poland’s...

In addition to CO2 emissions which are used to rank Europe’s dirtiest power stations, coal combustion causes other types of air pollution, such as nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxides. Just four companies – Enea, RWE, PGE, and ENEL – were responsible for 46 percent of these emissions in 2018. Enea A Polish energy utility which owns Bogdanka, a hard coal mine located near Lublin in Southeast Poland, and over six GW capacity in coal units. Its CO2 emission reduction strategy is incompatible with...

The role of coal-fired power stations in causing climate change is well-documented and widely understood. What is less well known is that coal is also used in steelworks, releasing large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere and relying on destructive mining operations. In some countries, steelworks produce larger amounts of greenhouse gases than any other single point source. What is steel used for?  Steel is crucial for all kinds of industries. It is widely used because it binds well to...

Fifteen European governments have developed coal phase-out plans, with Austria, Belgium, and Sweden now coal power free. While phaseouts are welcomed, almost all of them are too slow to avoid catastrophic climate change, and too often part of energy transitions that are based on large-scale, corporatecontrolled renewable energy systems that do not challenge the power relations and growth-imperative in energy policy. To illustrate this, we introduce a few countries and their national coal...

On 30 May 2020, a new hard coal power plant, Datteln 4, was commissioned on the periphery of the West-German Ruhr area, a traditional coal mining area. Located on the Datteln-Ems canal, next to the old coal power station units Datteln 1-3, the power plant is less than 500 metres away from the nearest residential areas and just one kilometre from one of Germany’s largest children’s hospitals – although it had originally been planned and permitted to be built about five kilometres further away....

By Alina Pogoda from the Polish Green Network In Poland, hard coal is exploited in 21 mines, mostly in the Silesia region. In 1990, 388,000 people were employed in the hard coal sector. By 2020, this number had declined to 83,000. The Polish mines have been struggling to be profitable for years and their survival is highly dependent on government subsidies. Between 1990 and 2019, mining absorbed 129 billion Polish złoty (€29 billion) in state subsidies. In 2019, Poland extracted 62 million...

Once it leaves the mine – on conveyor belts or trucks – the coal is usually transported to the nearest harbour. Many mines have their own railway lines, or even ports and shipping terminals, not only for exporting coal, but also to transport supplies and machinery to the mine. In Colombia, for instance, trains connecting the Cerrejón mine to the port 150km away operate 24 hours a day.  The mining region in El Cesar, Colombia, is also connected to the sea by an approximately 200km railway line....

In most European countries, electricity demand has been stagnating or even declining for decades. Renewables and gas are supplying ever greater proportions of what is consumed, and higher CO2 trading prices (a tax on production of CO2) in Europe have dis-incentivised coal use. This has led to falling demand for coal Europe – exacerbated in 2020 by the Covid- 19 pandemic. But coal is still used more than is often thought. Poland is Europe’s chief coal consumer with 78.3 percent of its...

The largest and dirtiest hard coal power station in Europe (in terms of CO2 emissions) is Kozienice, located ten kilometres from the small town with the same name in central Poland. It is run by the Polish company Enea. It ranks third in sulphur dioxide emissions (see below) and second in terms of NOx released in 2017. It runs at an efficiency rate of 45.59 percent. Combined, Enea’s Kozienice and Polaniec power stations released over 17 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019, almost a fifth of Poland’s...

In addition to CO2 emissions which are used to rank Europe’s dirtiest power stations, coal combustion causes other types of air pollution, such as nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxides. Just four companies – Enea, RWE, PGE, and ENEL – were responsible for 46 percent of these emissions in 2018. Enea A Polish energy utility which owns Bogdanka, a hard coal mine located near Lublin in Southeast Poland, and over six GW capacity in coal units. Its CO2 emission reduction strategy is incompatible with...

The role of coal-fired power stations in causing climate change is well-documented and widely understood. What is less well known is that coal is also used in steelworks, releasing large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere and relying on destructive mining operations. In some countries, steelworks produce larger amounts of greenhouse gases than any other single point source. What is steel used for?  Steel is crucial for all kinds of industries. It is widely used because it binds well to...

Fifteen European governments have developed coal phase-out plans, with Austria, Belgium, and Sweden now coal power free. While phaseouts are welcomed, almost all of them are too slow to avoid catastrophic climate change, and too often part of energy transitions that are based on large-scale, corporatecontrolled renewable energy systems that do not challenge the power relations and growth-imperative in energy policy. To illustrate this, we introduce a few countries and their national coal...

On 30 May 2020, a new hard coal power plant, Datteln 4, was commissioned on the periphery of the West-German Ruhr area, a traditional coal mining area. Located on the Datteln-Ems canal, next to the old coal power station units Datteln 1-3, the power plant is less than 500 metres away from the nearest residential areas and just one kilometre from one of Germany’s largest children’s hospitals – although it had originally been planned and permitted to be built about five kilometres further away....

By Alina Pogoda from the Polish Green Network In Poland, hard coal is exploited in 21 mines, mostly in the Silesia region. In 1990, 388,000 people were employed in the hard coal sector. By 2020, this number had declined to 83,000. The Polish mines have been struggling to be profitable for years and their survival is highly dependent on government subsidies. Between 1990 and 2019, mining absorbed 129 billion Polish złoty (€29 billion) in state subsidies. In 2019, Poland extracted 62 million...

Once it leaves the mine – on conveyor belts or trucks – the coal is usually transported to the nearest harbour. Many mines have their own railway lines, or even ports and shipping terminals, not only for exporting coal, but also to transport supplies and machinery to the mine. In Colombia, for instance, trains connecting the Cerrejón mine to the port 150km away operate 24 hours a day.  The mining region in El Cesar, Colombia, is also connected to the sea by an approximately 200km railway line....

In most European countries, electricity demand has been stagnating or even declining for decades. Renewables and gas are supplying ever greater proportions of what is consumed, and higher CO2 trading prices (a tax on production of CO2) in Europe have dis-incentivised coal use. This has led to falling demand for coal Europe – exacerbated in 2020 by the Covid- 19 pandemic. But coal is still used more than is often thought. Poland is Europe’s chief coal consumer with 78.3 percent of its...

The largest and dirtiest hard coal power station in Europe (in terms of CO2 emissions) is Kozienice, located ten kilometres from the small town with the same name in central Poland. It is run by the Polish company Enea. It ranks third in sulphur dioxide emissions (see below) and second in terms of NOx released in 2017. It runs at an efficiency rate of 45.59 percent. Combined, Enea’s Kozienice and Polaniec power stations released over 17 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019, almost a fifth of Poland’s...

In addition to CO2 emissions which are used to rank Europe’s dirtiest power stations, coal combustion causes other types of air pollution, such as nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxides. Just four companies – Enea, RWE, PGE, and ENEL – were responsible for 46 percent of these emissions in 2018. Enea A Polish energy utility which owns Bogdanka, a hard coal mine located near Lublin in Southeast Poland, and over six GW capacity in coal units. Its CO2 emission reduction strategy is incompatible with...

The role of coal-fired power stations in causing climate change is well-documented and widely understood. What is less well known is that coal is also used in steelworks, releasing large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere and relying on destructive mining operations. In some countries, steelworks produce larger amounts of greenhouse gases than any other single point source. What is steel used for?  Steel is crucial for all kinds of industries. It is widely used because it binds well to...

Fifteen European governments have developed coal phase-out plans, with Austria, Belgium, and Sweden now coal power free. While phaseouts are welcomed, almost all of them are too slow to avoid catastrophic climate change, and too often part of energy transitions that are based on large-scale, corporatecontrolled renewable energy systems that do not challenge the power relations and growth-imperative in energy policy. To illustrate this, we introduce a few countries and their national coal...

On 30 May 2020, a new hard coal power plant, Datteln 4, was commissioned on the periphery of the West-German Ruhr area, a traditional coal mining area. Located on the Datteln-Ems canal, next to the old coal power station units Datteln 1-3, the power plant is less than 500 metres away from the nearest residential areas and just one kilometre from one of Germany’s largest children’s hospitals – although it had originally been planned and permitted to be built about five kilometres further away....

By Alina Pogoda from the Polish Green Network In Poland, hard coal is exploited in 21 mines, mostly in the Silesia region. In 1990, 388,000 people were employed in the hard coal sector. By 2020, this number had declined to 83,000. The Polish mines have been struggling to be profitable for years and their survival is highly dependent on government subsidies. Between 1990 and 2019, mining absorbed 129 billion Polish złoty (€29 billion) in state subsidies. In 2019, Poland extracted 62 million...

Once it leaves the mine – on conveyor belts or trucks – the coal is usually transported to the nearest harbour. Many mines have their own railway lines, or even ports and shipping terminals, not only for exporting coal, but also to transport...

In most European countries, electricity demand has been stagnating or even declining for decades. Renewables and gas are supplying ever greater proportions of what is consumed, and higher CO2 trading prices (a tax on production of CO2) in Europe...

The largest and dirtiest hard coal power station in Europe (in terms of CO2 emissions) is Kozienice, located ten kilometres from the small town with the same name in central Poland. It is run by the Polish company Enea. It ranks third in sulphur...

In addition to CO2 emissions which are used to rank Europe’s dirtiest power stations, coal combustion causes other types of air pollution, such as nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxides. Just four companies – Enea, RWE, PGE, and ENEL – were...

The role of coal-fired power stations in causing climate change is well-documented and widely understood. What is less well known is that coal is also used in steelworks, releasing large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere and relying on...

Fifteen European governments have developed coal phase-out plans, with Austria, Belgium, and Sweden now coal power free. While phaseouts are welcomed, almost all of them are too slow to avoid catastrophic climate change, and too often part of...

On 30 May 2020, a new hard coal power plant, Datteln 4, was commissioned on the periphery of the West-German Ruhr area, a traditional coal mining area. Located on the Datteln-Ems canal, next to the old coal power station units Datteln 1-3, the...

By Alina Pogoda from the Polish Green Network In Poland, hard coal is exploited in 21 mines, mostly in the Silesia region. In 1990, 388,000 people were employed in the hard coal sector. By 2020, this number had declined to 83,000. The Polish mines...

Once it leaves the mine – on conveyor belts or trucks – the coal is usually transported to the nearest harbour. Many mines have their own railway lines, or even ports and shipping terminals, not only for exporting coal, but also to transport...

In most European countries, electricity demand has been stagnating or even declining for decades. Renewables and gas are supplying ever greater proportions of what is consumed, and higher CO2 trading prices (a tax on production of CO2) in Europe...

The largest and dirtiest hard coal power station in Europe (in terms of CO2 emissions) is Kozienice, located ten kilometres from the small town with the same name in central Poland. It is run by the Polish company Enea. It ranks third in sulphur...

In addition to CO2 emissions which are used to rank Europe’s dirtiest power stations, coal combustion causes other types of air pollution, such as nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxides. Just four companies – Enea, RWE, PGE, and ENEL – were...

The role of coal-fired power stations in causing climate change is well-documented and widely understood. What is less well known is that coal is also used in steelworks, releasing large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere and relying on...

Fifteen European governments have developed coal phase-out plans, with Austria, Belgium, and Sweden now coal power free. While phaseouts are welcomed, almost all of them are too slow to avoid catastrophic climate change, and too often part of...

On 30 May 2020, a new hard coal power plant, Datteln 4, was commissioned on the periphery of the West-German Ruhr area, a traditional coal mining area. Located on the Datteln-Ems canal, next to the old coal power station units Datteln 1-3, the...

By Alina Pogoda from the Polish Green Network In Poland, hard coal is exploited in 21 mines, mostly in the Silesia region. In 1990, 388,000 people were employed in the hard coal sector. By 2020, this number had declined to 83,000. The Polish mines...

Once it leaves the mine – on conveyor belts or trucks – the coal is usually transported to the nearest harbour. Many mines have their own railway lines, or even ports and shipping terminals, not only for exporting coal, but also to transport supplies and machinery to the mine. In Colombia, for instance, trains connecting the Cerrejón mine to the port 150km away operate 24 hours a day.  The mining region in El Cesar, Colombia, is also connected to the sea by an approximately 200km railway line....

In most European countries, electricity demand has been stagnating or even declining for decades. Renewables and gas are supplying ever greater proportions of what is consumed, and higher CO2 trading prices (a tax on production of CO2) in Europe have dis-incentivised coal use. This has led to falling demand for coal Europe – exacerbated in 2020 by the Covid- 19 pandemic. But coal is still used more than is often thought. Poland is Europe’s chief coal consumer with 78.3 percent of its...

The largest and dirtiest hard coal power station in Europe (in terms of CO2 emissions) is Kozienice, located ten kilometres from the small town with the same name in central Poland. It is run by the Polish company Enea. It ranks third in sulphur dioxide emissions (see below) and second in terms of NOx released in 2017. It runs at an efficiency rate of 45.59 percent. Combined, Enea’s Kozienice and Polaniec power stations released over 17 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019, almost a fifth of Poland’s...

In addition to CO2 emissions which are used to rank Europe’s dirtiest power stations, coal combustion causes other types of air pollution, such as nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxides. Just four companies – Enea, RWE, PGE, and ENEL – were responsible for 46 percent of these emissions in 2018. Enea A Polish energy utility which owns Bogdanka, a hard coal mine located near Lublin in Southeast Poland, and over six GW capacity in coal units. Its CO2 emission reduction strategy is incompatible with...

The role of coal-fired power stations in causing climate change is well-documented and widely understood. What is less well known is that coal is also used in steelworks, releasing large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere and relying on destructive mining operations. In some countries, steelworks produce larger amounts of greenhouse gases than any other single point source. What is steel used for?  Steel is crucial for all kinds of industries. It is widely used because it binds well to...

Fifteen European governments have developed coal phase-out plans, with Austria, Belgium, and Sweden now coal power free. While phaseouts are welcomed, almost all of them are too slow to avoid catastrophic climate change, and too often part of energy transitions that are based on large-scale, corporatecontrolled renewable energy systems that do not challenge the power relations and growth-imperative in energy policy. To illustrate this, we introduce a few countries and their national coal...

On 30 May 2020, a new hard coal power plant, Datteln 4, was commissioned on the periphery of the West-German Ruhr area, a traditional coal mining area. Located on the Datteln-Ems canal, next to the old coal power station units Datteln 1-3, the power plant is less than 500 metres away from the nearest residential areas and just one kilometre from one of Germany’s largest children’s hospitals – although it had originally been planned and permitted to be built about five kilometres further away....

By Alina Pogoda from the Polish Green Network In Poland, hard coal is exploited in 21 mines, mostly in the Silesia region. In 1990, 388,000 people were employed in the hard coal sector. By 2020, this number had declined to 83,000. The Polish mines have been struggling to be profitable for years and their survival is highly dependent on government subsidies. Between 1990 and 2019, mining absorbed 129 billion Polish złoty (€29 billion) in state subsidies. In 2019, Poland extracted 62 million...