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Since the beginning of industrialization in the 19th century, coal has had a significant impact on the world's energy supply. To this day, coal remains one of the main energy sources among all non-renewable resources. The use of hard coal, the most important type of coal, has increased even slightly in recent years. Coal also has the largest reserves of all non-renewable energy sources. Global coal production has continued to increase in recent years, reaching the equivalent of nearly 168 exajoules in 2019. In 2020, global coal production will decline slightly to 159.6 exajoules. The top hard coal producing countries are China, India, the United States, Australia and Indonesia.

Strong domestic supply and increased availability of alternative power sources caused Newcastle coal futures to drop below $144 a tonne in November, continuing the downturn from the one-year high of $153 reached on October 7. According to the most recent data, Chinese coal production increased 4.4% in September compared to the same month the previous year as a result of companies increasing capacity after significant mine safety inspections were completed. Furthermore, the Yunnan region of the country saw an abundance of rainfall, which increased the production of hydroelectric power and increased its proportion of utility generation. Nevertheless, this year's strong demand for coal-fired power kept futures 27% above the low point of March. Fresh data showed that thermal power generation in China rose by nearly 10% from the previous year in September, despite increasing concerns about macroeconomic headwinds in the country. The greater demand was underscored by a 13% increase in imports during the period to a record high of 47.6 tonnes.

Global coal production: 167.58EJ. Ambitious economic giants China and India continue to account for the majority of global coal consumption. About 60% of China's rapidly growing energy consumption is supported by coal. Although U.S. coal consumption has shown a slight decline over the past ten years, some projections show significant increases through the end of 2030.