World Coal Search remains at a record high since the energy demand

The world will not be able to release its grip on coal soon.

“Nothing can destroy coal,” US President Donald Trump said at the recent world economic forumS “Not the weather, not a bomb.”

Coal export They are constantly increasing to satisfy the increasing global demand for the world’s most frozen fossil fuel, although its domestic consumption has decreased.

On top of that, the global capacity of coal has reached a new record high of nearly 2175 gigs in 2024, Global Energy Monitor data showed on February 6th. Coal capacity is the total power that can be generated by coal -burned power plants.

“The global transition from coal remains a challenge, it is largely moving from increasing demand in Asia, even when Europe and the United States see a significant decline in coal consumption,” said Dorothy May, the Global Monitor’s Global Coast Mines Tracking Project.

It is also expected that the global demand for coal has violated another new record with 8.77 billion tonnes in 2024 and will remain at similar levels until 2027, International Energy Agency predicted.

China recently reported this The import of its coal increased by 14.4% to a record high in 2024.of 542.7 million metric tons compared to 474.42 million tonnes the previous year.

The world’s second largest economy is also the largest consumer of coal worldwide, representing over 56% of global demand in 2023, Last IEA figures showedS

The Chinese coal strategy in China is largely aimed at preparing the country for a potential shortage of energy caused by extreme meteorological events, May said.

Hydroelectricity, wind and solar energy composed almost 30% of Chinese electric mix In 2023, they showed data from Energy Think Tank Ember Energy. When water power falls as a result of insufficient rainfall, the Chinese government often relies on coal energy to guarantee energy security, May added.

“Moreover, another major barrier is not the presence of renewable energy infrastructure, but the difficulty of transmitting solar and wind energy to the provinces,” she said, adding that coal would continue to be “critical energy” in China to the integration of the network And the management is fully developed throughout the country.

In India, the extreme heat -induced heat has led to an increase in the demand for cooling energy, and the pure energy sources are not built quickly enough to satisfy the growing demand for energy in the country, May said.

India’s focus on economic and infrastructure development has also increased the consumption of cement and steel, industries that are strongly relying on coal, according to CNBC analysts.

Southern Asian steel demand will increase by 8-9% in 2025, ahead of other economies due to a pickup truck in infrastructure and residential sectors, showed data from Crisil Consulting CompanyS

Recently last December, India has expanded its directive For imported coal power plants to operate at full capacity until February 28.

But this does not mean that India ignores its renewable energy goals. The country has set an ambitious goal of Fulfillment of 50% of electricity needs Through renewable energy until 2030, it has made progress. And from last October, Renewable energy sources represent more than 46.3% of the capacity for the production of electricity in the country, according to the Ministry of the New and Renewable Energy of India.

Vietnam is expected to surpass Taiwan as a worldwide Fifth largest coal importerOnce the import of coal to the country reached a Record high for more than a decade Last year.

Indonesia coal production They have grown to about 831 million tonnes to score last year, according to data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the country.

And the share of coal in the electric mixture of the Philippines surpassed that of China in 2023, becoming the most dependent on a coal state in Southeast Asia, Ember Energy reported.

“There is little focus on using energy efficiently when coal is so cheap,” says Dave Jones, an electricity analyst at Energy Think Tank Ember Energy.

The strong demand for Coal in Asia throughout the board is also partly a consequence of the gas prices after the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, considering that a number of major coal importers such as China, India and Vietnam have reduced gas -based plans To build energy after high gas prices, said Ian Ropper, a commodity strategist at Astris Advisory Japan KK.

Global electricity consumption is expected to continue to increase in 2025, said IEAS

“The world needs more energy and he needs it,” said Rob Thummel, a portfolio senior manager at Tortoise Capital. “In order to grow the world economy, it needs efficient, cost -effective and reliable energy supply sources,” he told CNBC.

Artificial intelligence has also accelerated the needs of the world for energy. The reports show that the needs of electricity driven by data centers worldwide will also extend the demand for coal.

“The US, China and the world are in AI superiority competition,” says Tim Winter, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds. AI data centers are huge energy users, which makes it difficult to retire a reliable and affordable energy source like coal, he explained.

By 2030, the demand for electricity from data centers could exceed 35 GW, more than twice as big as 17 GW, recorded in 2022, Showed a Moody rating reportS

Governments agreed in 2015 Paris Climate Accord Limit global heating to well below 2 degrees Celsius and follow efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To prevent global warming of over 1.5 degrees Celsius, it is estimated that this Emissions should be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reaching a net zero by 2050.S

Others are less pessimistic, although they have acknowledged the challenge of reaching these goals on time.

Continuous promise to renewable sources, along with the occurrence jump in the global delivery of liquefied natural gas It can ensure that coal imports continue to weaken in some coal import markets, said Ropper, who noted that coal consumption has declined in Europe and Northeast Asia in recent years.

In addition, if the parties are committed to their promises to triple renewable energy sources by 2030, coal can begin to observe a significant decline over this decade, said Jones to Ember Energy.