Coal consumption in the EU rose again last year. Germany was the largest consumer

Coal consumption and production continued to rise in European Union countries in 2022. According to data published by Eurostat, consumption rose by 2% year on year to 454 million tonnes, while production increased by 5% to 349 million tonnes. Germany was the largest coal consumer, using around 170 million tonnes.

Lignite production in the EU reached 294 million tonnes last year, 6% more than in 2021. Despite the relatively sharp increase over the past two years, EU lignite production remained below its pre-pandemic 2019 level last year.

Eurostat reported that lignite is still mined in 9 EU member states. Germany produced 131 million tonnes of lignite last year, accounting for 44% of total EU production. Poland accounted for 19% of total production, Bulgaria for 12% and the Czech Republic for 11%. Other countries that mine lignite include Romania, Greece, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia.