So what of the future? Prescribed
CO
2
limits, such as those in the UK,
almost guarantee new gas build while
discriminating against coal. According
to Wood Mackenzie, there will be
around 10 GW of new coal capacity
installed in the EU within the next
2 – 3 yr but that represents 50% of the
total build expected before 2030. New
coal is simply not happening beyond
this short time horizon. With
renewables still facing intermittency
challenges and nuclear being
unpopular in many countries
post‑Fukushima, are environmental
objectives threatening to override
security of supply? Most EU countries
have access to relatively local coals.
Coal is a secure fuel, especially when
compared to options such as imported
gas. But coal combustion in older plants
is undeniably dirty. To many, removing
coal from the energy mix in Europe is
the most obvious way of reducing
pollution. But energy demand is
increasing and there has to be a balance
found between those energy options
that may be regarded by the public as
the most desirable (renewables) and
those which are actually more
appropriate to provide guaranteed
baseload power (fossil fuels and
nuclear). In order for fossil fuels, such
as coal, to have a major role in a
greener, lower-carbon future, the sector
must move towards high‑efficiency
low‑emission (HELE) technologies to
be able to continue to provide that base
load in a clean manner.
The future
HELE technologies are the route by
which coal may have a long‑term role
to play in the future EU. Coal is one of
the most affordable and secure sources
of power for many countries, with
global reserves being measured in
terms of centuries. The challenge will
be to make coal acceptable in a cleaner
Europe. And this is achievable –
state‑of-the-the art clean coal plants in
Japan (Isogo) and China (Tianjin) are
proving that efforts are getting closer
and closer to the zero-emission target.
The IED directive will significantly
improve air quality for the EU
population and, while doing so, it will
increase the pressure on the coal sector
to prove itself in terms of remaining an
option in the future fuel mix. In the
coming decades, our energy sources
will be cleaner – the result of a
combination of renewable power and
more efficient fuel use. The existing
coal fleet will be the bridge that holds
us until we have established a new,
cleaner, energy base load and, if HELE
technologies continue to be developed
at the current rate, coal could see a
resurgence in the EU in the longer
term.
Sources
1. HEINRICH, M. and HARE, P., ‘Outlook
for new coal-fired power stations in
Germany, the Netherlands and Spain: A
Report to DECC’ (Pöyry Management
Consulting (UK) Ltd; 2013), pp. 48.
Available at:
government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/194335/Poyry_
Report_-_Coal_fired_power_generation_
in_Germany.pdf
2. ‘European Coal: ALast Hurrah?’,
(22 March 2013).
Available at:
/
coal/22032013/European_coal_outlook_
from_Wood_Mackenzie/
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