According to Eurostat, coal production and consumption continued to increase in the European Union in 2022, reaching 349 million tonnes (5% compared to 2021) and 454 million tonnes (2%) respectively. This rebound that began in 2021 is mainly due to lignite, a solid fossil fuel with low energy content. The EU produced 294 million tonnes in 2022 (6% compared to 2021), although this is lower than the figures observed before the 2019 pandemic.
Lignite is now produced by nine EU member states, with Germany being the main producer, with 131 million tonnes, or 44% of the total. The other Member States producing lignite are Poland (19%), Bulgaria (12%), the Czech Republic (11%), Romania, Greece, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia.
For hard coal, a category of coal with higher energy content, production in the EU reached nearly 55 million tonnes in 2022, up from 277 million tonnes in 1990. Only two EU countries continue to currently produce: Poland and the Czech Republic. Hard coal consumption reached 160 million tonnes in 2022, up from 398 million tonnes in 1990.
Unlike lignite, hard coal is used for purposes other than electricity generation and is therefore consumed in all EU countries except Malta. Poland (38%) and Germany (25%) accounted for almost two thirds of total EU hard coal consumption in 2022, followed by Italy, the Netherlands, France, Spain and the Czech Republic.
