Energy: Imports
(asked on 1st June 2015) - View Source
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of coal used in UK energy generation is imported; and from which countries coal is imported.
DECC does not hold figures on the proportion of coal used in UK electricity generation from imports.
However, in 2014, 34,174 thousand tonnes of steam coal (mainly used by coal-fired power stations) were imported into the UK, representing 89% of coal used for electricity generation (38,398 thousand tonnes).
The table below gives the breakdown of these imports by country:
Country of origin | Steam Coal Imports (thousand tonnes) | Share of all steam coal imports |
Russia | 15,831 | 46.3% |
Colombia | 9,269 | 27.1% |
United States of America | 7,687 | 22.5% |
European Union (1) | 690 | 2.0% |
Republic of South Africa | 129 | 0.4% |
Other Countries | 569 | 1.7% |
Total all countries | 34,174 |
(1) European Union includes non-EU routed through the Netherlands
Source: Energy Trends tables 2.1 and 2.4, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-section-2-energy-trends.