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coal and energy  

 

Coal will continue to be one of the most important fuel sources in the world.

Our standard of living depends on plentiful, accessible and affordable energy. About 40% of all electricity across the world is generated from coal, the closest alternative resource is gas at 19%. In the UK about 33% of our electricity is derived from coal, with 40% coming from natural gas, 19% from nuclear, 4% from renewables and 4% from ‘other’ sources (2004 published data).

Globally, fossil fuels, including coal, will continue to account for most of the projected increase in energy demand over the coming decades. In the UK, coal will continue to be an important part of the energy mix, providing secure resource availability and reliability.

We support Government targets to reduce emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels and therefore support energy conservation initiatives as well as investment in clean coal technologies, including co-firing with biomass and carbon capture and storage.