By Robert Bradley Jr. — February 22, 2022
“The pledges to reach net zero emissions made by many countries, including China and India, should have very strong implications for coal – but these are not yet visible in our near-term forecast, reflecting the major gap between ambitions and action.” (International Energy Agency, below)
The father of energy economics made it official back in 1865. “Coal, in truth, stands not beside but entirely above all other commodities,” wrote William Stanley Jevons:
It is the material energy of the country—the universal aid—the factor in everything we do. With coal almost any feat is possible or easy; without it we are thrown back into the laborious poverty of early times.
Another writer of the day added:
Coal is everything to us. Without coal, our factories will become idle, our foundries and workshops be still as the grave; the locomotive will rust in the shed, and the rail be buried in the weeds. Our streets will be dark, our houses uninhabitable. Our rivers will forget the paddlewheel, and we shall again be separated by days from France, by months for the United States.
The coal boom has been an ‘open secret’ all along. Wrote Somini Sengupta in the New York Times back in 2018 (The World Needs to Quit Coal. Why Is It So Hard? November 24, 2018):
Home to half the world’s population, Asia accounts for three-fourths of global coal consumption today. More important, it accounts for more than three-fourths of coal plants that are either under construction or in the planning stages — a whopping 1,200 of them….”
But the boom damaged the narrative of the world getting off fossil fuels. In fact, it refuted it, and crushed the idea that the U.S. (with 15 percent of global GHG emissions) could have a climate effect with a Green New Deal.
Back to the present. Coal’s comeback was recently documented in an International Energy Agency (IEA) press release, “Coal power’s sharp rebound is taking it to a new record in 2021, threatening net zero goals.” I reprint it in its entirely.
Rapid economic recovery is driving global coal power generation to a record this year and overall coal demand to a potential all-time high as soon as 2022, underlining urgent need for policy action
The amount of electricity generated worldwide from coal is surging towards a new annual record in 2021, undermining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and potentially putting global coal demand on course for an all-time high next year, the International Energy Agency said in its latest annual market report.
After falling in 2019 and 2020, global power generation from coal is expected to jump by 9% in 2021 to an all-time high of 10,350 terawatt-hours, according to the IEA’s Coal 2021 report, which was released today.
The rebound is being driven by this year’s rapid economic recovery, which has pushed up electricity demand much faster than low-carbon supplies can keep up. The steep rise in natural gas prices has also increased demand for coal power by making it more cost-competitive.
Overall coal demand worldwide – including uses beyond power generation, such as cement and steel production – is forecast to grow by 6% in 2021. That increase will not take it above the record levels it reached in 2013 and 2014. But, depending on weather patterns and economic growth, overall coal demand could reach new all-time highs as soon as 2022 and remain at that level for the following two years, underscoring the need for fast and strong policy action.
“Coal is the single largest source of global carbon emissions, and this year’s historically high level of coal power generation is a worrying sign of how far off track the world is in its efforts to put emissions into decline towards net zero,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Without strong and immediate actions by governments to tackle coal emissions – in a way that is fair, affordable and secure for those affected – we will have little chance, if any at all, of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.”
In China, where more than half of global coal-fired electricity generation takes place, coal power is expected to grow by 9% in 2021 despite a deceleration at the end of the year. In India, it is forecast to grow by 12%. This would set new all-time highs in both countries, even as they roll out impressive amounts of solar and wind capacity.
While coal power generation is set to increase by almost 20% this year in the United States and the European Union, that is not enough to take it above 2019 levels. Coal use in those two markets is expected to go back into decline next year amid slow electricity demand growth and rapid expansion of renewable power.
“The pledges to reach net zero emissions made by many countries, including China and India, should have very strong implications for coal – but these are not yet visible in our near-term forecast, reflecting the major gap between ambitions and action,” said Keisuke Sadamori, Director of Energy Markets and Security at the IEA. “Asia dominates the global coal market, with China and India accounting for two-thirds of overall demand. These two economies – dependent on coal and with a combined population of almost 3 billion people – hold the key to future coal demand.”
In 2020, global coal demand fell by 4.4%, the largest decline in decades but much smaller than the annual drop that was initially expected at the height of the lockdowns early in the pandemic, the report shows. Regional disparities were large. Coal demand grew by 1% for the full year in China, where the economy began recovering much earlier than elsewhere, whereas it dropped by nearly 20% in the United States and the European Union, and by 8% in India and South Africa.
Coal prices have been on a rollercoaster ride over the past two years. After falling to USD 50 per tonne in the second quarter of 2020, they started to climb towards the end of the year, with supply cutbacks balancing the market before rebounds in economic activity and coal demand in China started pushing prices up.
In 2021, prices were lifted further by demand outstripping supply in China – the global coal price setter – as well as by supply disruptions and higher natural gas prices globally. Coal prices reached all-time highs in early October 2021, with imported thermal coal in Europe, for example, hitting USD 298 per tonne. Quick policy intervention by the Chinese government to balance the market had a rapid effect on prices. As of mid-December, European prices were back below USD 150 per tonne.
Final Comment
The climate debate is over except for all the shouting, politicking, and business rent-seeking. It is okay to right-size the climate-change exaggerations now that the world is moving past the “net zero” mirage. COP27, to be held in Egypt next November, is in big trouble in this regard.
Climate optimists say: bring on the next 1.5°C and watch the energy-rich world adapt and prosper.
This is a local and temporary recovery…
‘While coal power generation is set to increase by almost 20% this year in the United States and the European Union, that is not enough to take it above 2019 levels. Coal use in those two markets is expected to go back into decline next year amid slow electricity demand growth and rapid expansion of renewable power.’
Griff, project in one hand and piss in the other, see which fills fastest.
And your projections for China, India and Africa, oh oracle?
Griff,
U.S.and EU aren’t the World. In fact, together they don’t compare to China let alone China, India and the African Nations in current or projected Coal usage
The Chinese government fears whatever the local equivalent of pitchforks and torches if they try to go green. The earlier effort was a total failure, and the CCP is not stupid.
Do said pitch forks and torches outweigh tank treads?
One man standing on a street, without any pitch forks or torches, did just that. One man.
Only on EV tanks.
On a Global Use basis, China uses more coal than EVERY OTHER COUNTRY COMBINED.
https://www.worldometers.info/coal/coal-consumption-by-country/
At 4,319,921,826,000 MMcf, China uses 50.5% of the global Coal Supply annually.
Always, Andy, always. The tank drivers come from those wielding the pitchforks and torches. Or ask Macron about those yellow vests. Additionally, Tru’doh will learn that lesson very soon.
” Coal use in those two markets is expected to … ”
griff, you live in/on expectations, not in reality!…
Griff is wrong as usual.
Global production of power from coal is significant and will be so for the foreseeable future. In addition, coal is critical for global iron and steel production.
All that black carbon in coal was once nice transparent CO2 in the atmosphere.
Indeed, coal has been providing 25-30% of energy needs for the world for the last 50 years according to data from BP, the World Coal Association say it’s 37% today.
Over 70% of the worlds steel is produced using coal.
It’s interesting that the variation in the coal data correlates quite well with half order of the solar cycle. Coincidence?
Right, Russia just signed a 100 million ton deal for coal with China.
Just after a 40 million ton deal with India.
As for the rest, the world is slowing waking up to this EV car BS.
It came out from captain on the felicity ace, when the fire alarms went off the whole deck was filled with smoke, the decision was to Immediatly abandon ship. They will never know where the fire started. The ship is a complete loss and insurers are raising rates big time on EV shipments.
I will never have an EV parked in my garage. Stating to wonder about hybrids also. They are going to get a critical look also…
Most hybrids (not plug in hybrids) use NMH not LiIon. Very safe as the electrolyte is potassium hydroxide in water, not a lithium salt in a combustible organic electrolyte against a graphite anode. Reason is simple, and more than just cost. Float NMH between 40%-60% SoC and it basically lasts ‘forever’. Our 2007 Ford Escape hybrid is 14 years old with 90k miles and the battery is still going strong. There were NYC Escape hybrid taxis scrapped after 350k hard miles with NO battery problems.
Understand, but there is a push for plug in hybrids.
True, but they don’t make much sense economically or environmentally. Bigger more expensive battery that doesn’t last as long, to ‘buy’ maybe 30-40 miles of grid range. Chevy discontinued the plug in Volt in favor of the EV Bolt.
My Escape AWD with class one tow hitch still gets 32 city and 28 highway at 70mph with AC on. The comparable capability 2007 Escape V6 got 18 city and 22 highway. V6 Otto cycle needed premium, the hybrid Atkinson cycle I4 uses regular. 1/3 less gas at ~$1/ gallon less price. And, the hybrid premium in 2007 was exactly $3000 (Ford planning), which was exactly the hybrid federal income tax credit in 2007. We made money the first time we filled the tank after taking the car from the dealership.
Unfortunately I believe ford is going lithium all the way for all three types. I was watching the ford plans for a new IC engine optimized for f150 hybreds. Not sure if they are even working on anymore. When they came out with the full f150 EV and a loaded towing range of 100 miles. I quit watching. All this did bring back memories from a long time ago of a garage car fire I had from an over heated cheap headlight switch. Fire extinguisher worked great.
The question arises, what did they do in NYC with the spent batteries?
(Asking for a friend.)
Recycled for the metals. Fairly easy with NMH, quite difficult with LiIon.
NMH?
I had to look that up and came up with NiMH.
Nickel Metal Hydride
Sorry. In my decade plus years at MOT, we always used NMH— first letter abbreviations—until LiIon because different from a single use Li long lasting AA.
Thanks,
It’s just that N is Nitrogen not Nickel (chemistry pedant here). 🙂
Also TLAs are always problematic for outsiders e.g MOT Ministry of Transport? AA Alcoholics Anonymous?
NMH stands for “nickel metal hydride battery”
The UK intends to ban hybrids from 2035.
No real need to ban them. They would still be usable as an EV with a 35 mile (50 Kilometer) range. According to Griff no one drives more than that anyway.
Of course once the UK bans the sale of petrol to everyone you could also pull the Gas Engine and install extra batteries for extended range.
Does it matter where the fire started?
Even if it was spontaneous combustion from a sack of flour on the seat of a diesel VW, once the fires started and spread in the hold the EVs would eventually burn and then it was “all over”.
I don’t know what we do without you griff. Your hilarious activist posts that ignore real science always bring out the truth from those that follow.
The IEA Executive Director said: “Without strong and immediate actions by governments to tackle coal emissions – in a way that is fair, affordable and secure for those affected – we will have little chance, if any at all, of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C.”
Anyone who believe tackling coal emissions with be fair or affordable for those affected is a complete fool. That’s why it won’t happen nearly as fast as the greenies think it will.
Per Lewis Carroll “believing in 6 impossible things before breakfast” is good training for Leaders and politicians.
Especially now Nord Stream 2 is cancelled…
I would say it’s only on hold.
griff, just because you won the barking contest at your Sorority doesn’t mean you can just make stuff up.
Any decline in the US and Europe witl be driven mainly by brute government force, not by unimpeded economic considerations.
So put up or shut up … give us your prediction of price and volumes for 2022, 2023, 2024.
Since you seem pretty clueless you could start with looking at the futures market.
It’s not about record highs or lows in anything , more a matter of common sense seems to be lacking from multiple subsidised sources . Without coal being the main contributor to the industrialised world western countries enjoy today with all their luxuries and conveniences we take for granted , we would other wise still be in the near dark ages as are many countries still in poverty conditions . Wanna swap places ?
Griff,
renewable power only seems rapid on paper using nameplate capacity, real output is slow.
Do you believe the increase in electric vehicles that are being pushed will not impact demand and see rapid electricity demand growth?
Griff, You seem to have overlooked this gigantic elephant while your attention was focused on swatting the fly.
Wrote Somini Sengupta in the New York Times back in 2018 (The World Needs to Quit Coal. Why Is It So Hard? November 24, 2018):
Home to half the world’s population, Asia accounts for three-fourths of global coal consumption today. More important, it accounts for more than three-fourths of coal plants that are either under construction or in the planning stages — a whopping 1,200 of them….”
We are a couple of decades into the death of coal eh Griff?? And its at record high levels……..
It’s funny, as you say, that during that couple of decades of the death of coal from 2000 to 2020 the amount of coal fired power production in the world doubled according to Carbon Brief.
Maybe you want to have a little look at the recent EIA report on Critical Minerals to see what the raw materials outlook is for your rapid expansion of renewables.
Costs of renewables will go through through the roof because there is an order of magnitude more output required to get to net zero. A couple of them need two orders of magnitude increase.
Its going to be met with materials sourced from lower grade orebodies, almost all of which need to be found, at higher production costs and needing a lot more energy to produce.
Then there is the question of water; lithium and copper needing by far the biggest increases in output to provide batteries, EV batteries and electricity network upgrades, and both of them being notoriously water hungry to produce and process. Most of the worlds production of them occurs in areas already under severe water stress.
And the kicker, with mines needing on average 16.5 years to go from discovery to first production. This of course does not include the time to initially locate the orebody.
How reliable does the renewables nirvana sound now Griff? Unless you have a magic pudding or thousand.
A recent IEA Commentary on EVs notes that the price of lithium carbonate increased 150% year on year during 2021, graphite by 15% and nickel by 25% all pushing up the manufacturing costs of EV batteries.
It also estimates that there are now 16m EVs on the road worldwide consuming roughly 30TWh of electricity p.a. – equivalent to all the electricity generated in Ireland.
And ironically though EVs helped avoid oil and CO2 emissions in 2021 these were cancelled out by the parallel increase in sales of SUVs
https://www.iea.org/commentaries/electric-cars-fend-off-supply-challenges-to-more-than-double-global-sales?utm
Temporary? Can’t make solar panels and turbines without coal, not if you want to stay in business.
Enjoy your dillusion, it’s cheaper than drugs.
I support black and organic fuels. Power to the people.
You might even get the two intellectuals sitting at the top of the US government to back such a movement – if they were allowed to make their own decisions.
They could put AOC in charge.
#BlackFuelsMatter
BFM … black fuels matter.
Supercritical coal is the obvious electricity generating answer everywhere natural gas is not abundant—which is just about everywhere outside of US, Russia, and Qatar/Saudi Arabia and west Australia. 3 Gen nuclear is much more expensive based on Voglte 3 and 4. Significantly cheaper than LNG fueled (at $15/mbtu) CCGT and easy to stockpile.
But on an LCOE basis, still more expensive than CCGT at any nat gas price less than about $8/mbtu (USD, compared to Wyoming Powder River basin sub bituminous steam coal like used at Turk). Ran the numbers for essay Clean Coal in ebook Blowing Smoke back in 2014.
There are several fundamental reasons. CCGT runs about 61% thermal efficiency, supercritical coal about 41-42% (depends on plant size). CCGT takes less than 3 years to build greenfield, Turk (only US supercritical coal) took over 4. So faster and cheaper capital for similar plant lives and capacity factors, better fuel efficiency.
There is a wild card in this game – Biden.
CCGT and SCC last >40 years. Biden may not last another 3. And even with US exporting LNG, plenty of fracked nat gas. Most of the Permian and Marcellus shales are on private, not federal, land. He can do nothing about that—unless he pulls a Trudeau.
He’ll get a chance to “pull a Trudeau.” this weekend as a Truck Convoy is headed to Washington C.C. to make a mess out of Brandon’s State of the Union Address. Wait for it.
The last thing we need is another world leader in blackface.
He did promise.
What’s your opinion on Durham, Rud?
Do you think there’s enough to bring Biden down?
Durham looks to be doing a good job. Conspiracy cases often take 2-3 years to develop. Won’t touch Biden but will likely touch Hillary Clinton.
Rud Istvan: “3 Gen nuclear is much more expensive based on Vogtle 3 and 4.”
Capital cost for Vogtle 3 & 4, an AP1000 design, is running at about $13,000 per KWe nominal. Even with the experience gained at that project, it is doubtful the capital cost for an 1100 MW Gen 3 plant built in the US could be any less than $8,000 per KWe nominal.
We will not be seeing any more Gen 3 nuclear plants being constructed in the US.
NuScale’s SMR design continues its steady march towards being the first SMR to go operational in the US. NuScale recently submitted a progress report to the NRC describing the current status of the UAMPS eastern Idaho project, a six unit 462 MWe plant scheduled to go online in 2029.
The combined operating license application for the Idaho plant will be submitted to the NRC in January 2024. In the meantime, NuScale and its partners will continue working on building their component supplier base.
You need to add East Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean to your list.
Countries claiming CO2 reductions are all talk and no substance. All they’re doing is buying more time from the Green bullies. Want solar and PV panels? OK here’s some, now shut up and leave us alone. Same with all the so called social consciousness that’s pervasive in corporations these days. Nothing changed but more advertising with minority mannequins. It’s easier for the countries and CEOs to appear that they are complying with the harassment than to commit to anything that may damage the economy or their bottom line.
Thank you for not using the much overused misleading term ‘virtue signalling’.
What’s misleading about it?
It’s not really virtuous.
Disingenuity signalling?
or as one celebrated philosopher put it
Take heed that alms before
men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have
no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
how much worse would the panic be if the satellite-era trend were reversed?
history will marvel at a world that wasted trillions trying to prevent a warming trend
even Bastiat never imagined the lunacy of “green jobs”
In reply to: “The pledges to reach net zero emissions made by many countries” Assured country destruction…. Impossible to achieve due to basic engineering and economic reasons/laws. China and Asia promise get to zero after we have destroyed our economies. The green schemes do not ‘work’. Spending more and more money will only make electricity so expensive and unreliable that industries will be forced to shutdown. That is not a ‘plan’. That is sabotage.
And per the original SoS Kerry’s and VP Biden’s agreement with China (sans Senate approval of course) China would “consider leveling off” once their economy and their people’s welfare were at the level of “developed Nations”.
Do you mean to tell me 10% Joe didn’t write “The Art of the Deal“?
it’s a Chineses plan…brilliant actually.
Western countries the EU in particular that adopted lefty agendas and expected the whole world to play nicely and support equal rights for water, food, and resources are getting a lesson by an increasing assertive China and Russia.
Many of those Western Countries lefties are about to find out what happens when you make yourself vulnerable 🙂
The EU may decide to impose sanctions but Russia may well turn off gas and oil and cold, starving and freezing citizens may well turn towards Russia to solve their problems.
From the 2018 NYT article above:
“Home to half the world’s population, Asia accounts for three-fourths of global coal consumption today. More important, it accounts for more than three-fourths of coal plants that are either under construction or in the planning stages — a whopping 1,200 of them….”
So, who is protesting and sabotaging coal production and coal plants in Asia?
Any coal plants shut down in the West will be made up for and more by the increasing use of coal in Asia. Protesters are holding up their signs and chanting in the wrong countries.
Do you hear that, Greta? You need to take your show on an Asian tour with a long stop in China. Let us know how it goes.
“You need to take your show on an Asian tour with a long stop in China”
The only difference is we tolerate it.
I don’t think Greta is welcome in China. The Chicoms consider her misinformed.
China is not open for tourism, only national citizens and foreign nationals with valid residence permits and some special types of visas are allowed to enter. They reluctantly allowed the Winter Olympics to go ahead participants had special visas 🙂
“Without strong and immediate actions by governments to tackle coal emissions – in a way that is fair, affordable and secure for those affected – we will have little chance, if any at all, of limiting global warming to
1.5 °C.a totally arbitrary temperature threshold number we picked out of thin air for political and environmental activist purposes that we managed to get everybody to believe.”More than happy to fix the IEA’s press release mistakes for them. No need to thank me.
Now with Russian troops in Ukraine, Biden had better unleash the North American energy producers- and I don’t mean wind and solar.
That’s what Biden should do but he won’t.
Don’t forget to make extra for the retards in Europe who are about to get squeezed.
RCP 8.5 CO2 levels are looking better every day. Going to be interesting when they announce 500 ppm CO2 levels and a 30 year cooling trend.
Electricity is over rated. Nobody really wants its. It’s not sustainable. Living without power is natural. You are better off without it. I know I can convince all current excessive use countries to sacrifice your present lifestyles to end pollution and to save the Earth. You just need to be re-educated. Living short miserable lives in the dark and cold is good for character building. Trust me.
Just wait for the next Carrington event or nuclear attack No electricity It will happen
It’s all over but the crying, Griff.
They might as well cancel COP27.
King Coal has reared its head and is taking its rightful place in the world’s energy mix.
The Russians and the Chinese and the Indians and the Africans don’t care about NetZero. They care about having electrical power and King Coal gives them all they need.
NetZero is an illusion.
It was obvious from the funny footwork done at COP26 that this was going to happen and many of us predicted it based on the preamble going into the meeting.
Australia has openly stated it will still be shipping coal in 2050 even with a net-zero policy and both sides of politics have locked that in as policy. We may have to plant lots of trees or buy lots of carbon credits but so long as the economics make sense the industry will continue.
go coal
Climate optimist. I like that. A 1.5°C up tick would be a lovely thing. I look forward to it. Warmer is better. Hooray for the coal trains of life.
“Net Zero” means rationing.
But leftists/collectivists rub their hands in anticipation because they get to make distribution/allocation decisions based on their political agenda.
Who get what at what price and how much.
Who gets hurt?
Everyday folks and those not favored by ‘the “lords of green.”
Coal is the base energy for much of the world.
Coal electricity generating plants can be decentralized and redundant so as to protect the electric power grid.
I like my power 24/7.
Only everyday folks in Western Democracies there is no way China or Russia will play ball.
The Climate Scam is what enables Putin military imperialism.
The Climate Scam is a War on Fossil Fuels by another name.
The War on Fossil Fuels by President Biden and by the EU has allowed much of Europe to become dependent on Russian natural gas.
The War of Fossil Fuels is directly responsible for the soaring price of Natural Gas that Europe and the UK have had to pay to get thru this current winter season.
The War on Fossil Fuels has resulted in a destruction of affordable energy for Europe, and thus left the EU nations unable to adequately counter Putin.
Putin is now flush again with hard currency to fund his military adventurism and seizing of Ukrainian territory while the EU and US can do little. to stop him.
What stops Putin is low gas and oil prices. When the Russian treasury is dry, Putin’s tanks stay in their garrisons, the Sukhoi and Mig jets don’t fly, and the Russian missiles and arty remain silent.
When the Russian treasury is flush with cash during high oil and natural gas periods, Putin’s goes on the offensive. His military is on the move burning oil because they can afford it domestically.
Correlation of Russian military imperialism with oil prices is causation in this case.
2008: Russia invaded Georgia and seized South Ossetia in August 2008, a period when Brent crude was hitting north of $120/bbl. Russia was flush with cash in 2008 to fund aggression into Georgia.
2014: Russia seized the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in February and March 2014. It also took parts of eastern Ukraine via a proxie war of little green men. For all of 2013 and the first 3 months of 2014, Brent crude was north of $100/bbl,
2022: Russia is now effectively annexing parts of the Ukrainian Donbass, the break-away Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and placing them under the control of Moscow selected leadership. Brent oil is now nearing $100/bbl.
The Climate Scam and the ensuing Left’s War on Fossil Fuels is enabling Vladimir Putin to carry out this agression. Until the Strategic appeasement of the West’s Climate Scam crumbles, this Russian aggression will continue.
You left out China. If the Western Democracies fail in controlling Russia annexing Ukraine you can fully expect China will take that as a signal to annex Taiwan.
It all has the feel of the 1930s. These are ethnic xxxxx, last territorial demand, non-aggression pacts, unfair treaties and the rest
I wanted to focus on the financial angle driving (or holding back) Putin’s imperialism, which is how much Russia gets for selling its oil and natural gas to the World. China’s desire to take Taiwan is not really as much financial as it is face-saving. Although with Taiwan having some one the largest semiconductor foiundries in the world is quite attractive, much of that production would at least be temporarily disrupted by a PLA invasion of the island.
Taiwan is the last piece of China that the CCP still doesn’t control. Hong Kong and Macao are fully under CCP control.
“Climate optimists say: bring on the next 1.5°C and watch the energy-rich world adapt and prosper.”
It’s 2°C outside – I think I could easily adapt to another 5°C easily!
Bring it!