According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), global coal demand is expected to reach its highest level in 2025, although consumption trends show significant differences by region.
The annual coal market report from the IEA revealed that global coal consumption increased by 0.5% to 8.85 billion tonnes this year.
Meanwhile, although coal demand in the United States (US) showed a previous downward trend, its consumption is expected to jump again by around 8% this year.
The IEA also explained that this surge was driven by rising natural gas prices and the policy of the US President Donald Trump administration to postpone the closure of coal-fired power plants to ensure energy security.
At the same time, coal demand in the European Union (EU) showed a slight decrease compared to the previous two years.
The fall was due to lower wind and hydropower production in the first half of this year, thus causing greater dependence on coal generation.
However, India, which has traditionally been a driver of global demand growth, is expected to reduce its reliance on coal power this year.
The agency also predicts that global coal consumption will plateau over the next few years before starting to show a downward trend by 2030.
