Coal’s Future: New Report Charts Path to Sustainability
Christopher Demetriou
9 Dec 2024
Modern coal technologies, outlined in FutureCoal’s Sustainable Coal Stewardship, have the ability to deliver global climate goals while continuing to foster socio-economic growth.
Given the growing demands of a digital and electrified world, FutureCoal’s new report released today, “Roadmap for a Sustainable Coal Value Chain“, outlines how advanced coal technologies can not only provide clean energy, reducing up to 99% of emissions, including CO2, but also support the growth aspirations of developing and emerging economies.
Key report findings include:
Emission Reductions: high-efficiency low emissions (HELE) coal plants and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies could reduce emissions by up to 1,412 MtCO2 annually—equivalent to removing 310-560 million SUVs from global roads.
Economic Growth: Replacing coal plants with ultra-supercritical plants could inject over USD 1.5 trillion into the global economy. In contrast, replacing coal with alternative energy would cost an additional USD 2.7 trillion due to shortfalls in output.
High Value Applications: Coal remains essential to key sectors, including steel (70% production), cement (90%), and aluminium (60%), while also producing cost-effective hydrogen and providing critical minerals like copper, cobalt, nickel, and more for renewable energy and battery storage.
Paul Baruya, FutureCoal’s Director of Strategy and Sustainability stated: “This report challenges outdated views of coal, reminding us that it is a versatile resource vital to modern life, industrial developmentand economic progress. Given its high-value applications, strategic investments in advanced coal technologies ensures economic solutions worldwide.”
The report underscores coal’s positive impact on global communities, including job creation and providing essential resources for food security and infrastructure. It also calls for increased collaboration across the coal value chain to realise these opportunities through innovation and technology transformation.
Baruya concluded: “Over the past year, FutureCoal’s Sustainable Coal Stewardship roadmap has been challenging and reshaping how stakeholders view coal. This report builds on that progress, showing that a globally united value chain can shape a sustainable and responsible coal future.”
