Energy IEA expects record demand for coal this year
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global demand for coal is likely to reach another record high this year.
17.12.2025, 07:23
SDA
he experts assume that consumption will increase by 0.5% to 8.85 billion tons of coal, as they write in their annual coal report published today.
Local consumption this year did not always correspond to previous trends. While coal consumption in the USA has fallen in recent years, demand is expected to rise by eight percent this year. According to the IEA, this is due to higher prices for natural gas and a slowdown in the decommissioning of coal-fired power plants supported by the government.
In the European Union, demand for coal fell much less sharply than in the last two years because wind and hydropower supplied less energy in the first half of the year and so coal was used. And India, which normally contributes to the increase in global coal demand, is likely to have generated less energy from coal this year. This is because demand for electricity was lower due to the early and heavy monsoon season and hydropower plants produced more.
According to the IEA, the outlook for the development of coal demand up to 2030 is subject to numerous uncertainties, especially in China, which consumes more coal than the rest of the world combined. Demand in the People's Republic is likely to fall slightly by 2030 due to the rapid expansion of renewables. In India, on the other hand, the experts from the Paris-based organization expect the largest increase in coal consumption.
