Introduction

Can coal claim its crown back? The answer is probably yes, if we consider three evolutions. First, the coal is the only abundant energy source of countries such as China or India whose energy consumption grows rapidly. As the world leading producer and second largest exporter, China needs to feed 30 additional Gwe electric power plants annually planned. The political autorities are convinced that price for reform and restructuring of the coal industry will enable the country to meet a demand of 2.5 billion of metric tons in 2020. A strong growth of coal production is also expected ...