List of countries by coal reserves
![]() | This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (July 2020) |
![]() | This article needs attention from an expert in Economics. The specific problem is: Given that lignite varies so much in quality and is not traded long distances, what lignite prices to estimate the reserves of the largest lignite-producing countries, namely China, Germany, Indonesia, Turkey, and Russia?.(July 2020) |
The reserve list specifies different types of coal and includes countries with at least 0.1% share of the estimated world's proven coal reserves. All data are taken from the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) via BP; all numbers are in million tonnes.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Coal_mine_Wyoming.jpg/220px-Coal_mine_Wyoming.jpg)
Background[]
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements; chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.[2]
As a fossil fuel burned for heat, coal supplies about a quarter of the world's primary energy and two-fifths of its electricity.[3]
The largest consumer and importer of coal is China. China mines almost half the world's coal, followed by India with about a tenth. Australia accounts for about a third of world coal exports, followed by Indonesia and Russia.[4]
Coal is largely held in the Earth in areas that it needs to be mined from, and is generally present in coal seams.
Estimation of proved reserves[]
Unlike "resources", which is the amount that could technically be extracted, according to BP "total proved reserves of coal" is "generally taken to be those quantities that geological and engineering information indicates with reasonable certainty can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions".[1] Thus, like oil reserves, coal reserves can vary with coal and carbon prices. There are various definitions of "reserve".[5]
Unlike hardcoal, which is sometimes traded internationally, lignite – because of its low value – is not traded away from the place where it is mined.[6]
List[]
Rank | Country | Anthracite & bituminous | Subbituminous & lignite | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tonnes (mil) | % | Tonnes (mil) | % | Tonnes (mil) | % | ||
1 | ![]() |
220,167 | 30% | 30,052 | 9.4% | 250,219 | 24% |
2 | ![]() |
69,634 | 9.5% | 90,730 | 28.4% | 160,364 | 15% |
3 | ![]() |
70,927 | 9.7% | 76,508 | 23.9% | 147,435 | 14% |
4 | ![]() |
130,851 | 17.8% | 7,968 | 2.5% | 138,819 | 13% |
5 | ![]() |
96,468 | 13.1% | 4,895 | 1.5% | 101,363 | 10% |
6 | ![]() |
26,122 | 3.6% | 10,878 | 3.4% | 37,000 | 4% |
7 | ![]() |
3 | 0% | 36,100 | 11.3% | 36,103 | 3% |
8 | ![]() |
32,039 | 4.4% | 2,336 | 0.7% | 34,375 | 3% |
9 | ![]() |
20,542 | 2.8% | 5,937 | 1.9% | 26,479 | 3% |
10 | ![]() |
25,605 | 3.5% | 0 | 0% | 25,605 | 2% |
11 | ![]() |
551 | 0.1% | 10,975 | 3.4% | 11,526 | 1% |
12 | ![]() |
9,893 | 1.3% | 0 | 0% | 9,893 | 1% |
13 | ![]() |
825 | 0.1% | 6,750 | 2.1% | 7,575 | 1% |
14 | ![]() |
402 | 0.1% | 7,112 | 2.2% | 7,514 | 1% |
15 | ![]() |
1,547 | 0.2% | 5,049 | 1.6% | 6,596 | 1% |
16 | ![]() |
4,346 | 0.6% | 2,236 | 0.7% | 6,582 | 1% |
17 | ![]() |
4,881 | 0.7% | 0 | 0% | 4,881 | 0% |
18 | ![]() |
207 | 0% | 2,857 | 0.9% | 3,064 | 0% |
19 | ![]() |
3,116 | 0.4% | 244 | 0.1% | 3,360 | 0% |
20 | ![]() |
276 | 0% | 2,633 | 0.8% | 2,909 | 0% |
21 | ![]() |
0 | 0% | 2,876 | 0.9% | 2,876 | 0% |
22 | ![]() |
110 | 0% | 2,547 | 0.8% | 2,657 | 0% |
23 | ![]() |
1,170 | 0.2% | 1,350 | 0.4% | 2,520 | 0% |
24 | ![]() |
192 | 0% | 2,174 | 0.7% | 2,366 | 0% |
25 | ![]() |
1,375 | 0.2% | 0 | 0% | 1,375 | 0% |
26 | ![]() |
1,160 | 0.2% | 51 | 0% | 1,211 | 0% |
27 | ![]() |
868 | 0.1% | 319 | 0.1% | 1,187 | 0% |
28 | ![]() |
0 | 0% | 1,063 | 0.3% | 1,063 | 0% |
29 | ![]() |
731 | 0.1% | 0 | 0% | 731 | 0% |
– | World | 734,903 | 100% | 319,879 | 100% | 1,054,782 | 100% |
See also[]
- List of countries by coal production
- World energy supply and consumption
- World energy resources
- Estimated ultimate recovery
References[]
- ^ a b "BP Statistical review of world energy 2019" (PDF). British Petroleum. 2019. p. 42. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
- ^ Blander, M. "Calculations of the Influence of Additives on Coal Combustion Deposits" (PDF). Argonne National Laboratory. p. 315. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ^ "Global energy data". International Energy Agency.
- ^ "Global energy data". International Energy Agency.
- ^ "How much coal is left - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ^ "Why is there no lignite market?". Euracoal. 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- Coal by country
- Energy-related lists by country
- Energy economics