During the energy crisis, Germany imported more hard coal last year. The amount rose by 8 percent to 44.4 million tons, according to an evaluation by the Association of Coal Importers (VDKI), which was first reported by “Bild” (Saturday).
The most important supplier was Russia with 13 million tons, which meant a decrease of 37 percent. The import of Russian coal into the EU has been banned since August because of the Ukraine war.
According to the VDKI, the second most important supplier country was the USA with 9.4 million tons. The volume increased by 32 percent compared to the previous year. It is followed by Colombia and Australia.
Because of the energy crisis resulting from the lack of gas supplies from Russia, Germany is using more coal to generate electricity and has taken power plants out of reserve to do so. The energy source is also used in steel production.
Burning coal produces more climate-damaging carbon dioxide than natural gas. The federal government therefore wants to quickly secure the gas supply and reduce the use of coal.
