List of countries by coal reserves

The reserve list specifies different types of coal and includes countries with at least 0.1% share of the estimated world's proven reserves of coal. All data are taken from the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) via BP; all numbers are in million tonnes.[1]

A coal mine in Wyoming, United States. The country has the world's largest coal reserves.

"Coal by country" redirects here. For coal production by country, see List of countries by coal production.

Background

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements; chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.[2]

As a fossil fuel burned for heat, coal supplies about a quarter of the world's primary energy and two-fifths of its electricity.[3]

The largest consumer and importer of coal is China. China mines almost half the world's coal, followed by India with about a tenth. Australia accounts for about a third of world coal exports, followed by Indonesia and Russia.[4]

Coal is largely held in the Earth in areas that it needs to be mined from, and is generally present in coal seams.

Estimation of proved reserves

Unlike "resources", which is the amount that could technically be extracted, according to BP "total proved reserves of coal" is "generally taken to be those quantities that geological and engineering information indicates with reasonable certainty can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions".[1] Thus, like oil reserves, coal reserves can vary with coal and carbon prices. There are various definitions of "reserve".[5]

Unlike the internationally traded commodities hard or soft coal, lignite is not traded far from the place where it is mined because of its low value relative to transport costs, so it does not have a national price.[6] For example lignite costs within India vary greatly.[7]

List
Countries by coal reserve
Rank Country Anthracite & bituminous Subbituminous & lignite Total
Tonnes (mil)  % Tonnes (mil)  % Tonnes (mil)  %
1  United States 220,16730% 30,0529.4% 250,21924%
2  Russia 69,6349.5% 90,73028.4% 160,36415%
3  Australia 70,9279.7% 76,50823.9% 147,43514%
4  China 130,85117.8% 7,9682.5% 138,81913%
5  India 96,46813.1% 4,8951.5% 101,36310%
6  Indonesia 26,1223.6% 10,8783.4% 37,0004%
7  Germany 30% 36,10011.3% 36,1033%
8  Ukraine 32,0394.4% 2,3360.7% 34,3753%
9  Poland 20,5422.8% 5,9371.9% 26,4793%
10  Kazakhstan 25,6053.5% 00% 25,6052%
11  Turkey 5510.1% 10,9753.4% 11,5261%
12  South Africa 9,8931.3% 00% 9,8931%
13  New Zealand 8250.1% 6,7502.1% 7,5751%
14  Serbia 4020.1% 7,1122.2% 7,5141%
15  Brazil 1,5470.2% 5,0491.6% 6,5961%
16  Canada 4,3460.6% 2,2360.7% 6,5821%
17  Colombia 4,8810.7% 00% 4,8810%
18  Pakistan 2070% 2,8570.9% 3,0640%
19  Vietnam 3,1160.4% 2440.1% 3,3600%
20  Hungary 2760% 2,6330.8% 2,9090%
21  Greece 00% 2,8760.9% 2,8760%
22  Czech Republic 1100% 2,5470.8% 2,6570%
23  Mongolia 1,1700.2% 1,3500.4% 2,5200%
24  Bulgaria 1920% 2,1740.7% 2,3660%
25  Uzbekistan 1,3750.2% 00% 1,3750%
26  Mexico 1,1600.2% 510% 1,2110%
27  Spain 8680.1% 3190.1% 1,1870%
28  Thailand 00% 1,0630.3% 1,0630%
29  Venezuela 7310.1% 00% 7310%
– World734,903 100% 319,879 100% 1,054,782 100%

See also

References
  1. "BP Statistical review of world energy 2019" (PDF). British Petroleum. 2019. p. 42. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  2. Blander, M. "Calculations of the Influence of Additives on Coal Combustion Deposits" (PDF). Argonne National Laboratory. p. 315. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  3. "Global energy data". International Energy Agency.
  4. "Global energy data". International Energy Agency.
  5. "How much coal is left – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  6. "Why is there no lignite market?". Euracoal. 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  7. "Lignite at Best Price in India". IndiaMART. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
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