The German coal market in 2003
by: Dr.rer.pol. Peter Hufschmied, German Hard Coal Association, Essen. For the German coal industry the year 2003 was marked by the summer adoption of the follow-up regulation to the coal agreement of 1997. This provides for coal production to be further scaled-down from a proposed 26 million tonnes in 2005 to 16 million tonnes by 2012.
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| Coal plough |
The domestic coal mining industry will therefore continue to play a key role in safeguarding energy supplies in Germany. In 2003 the German coal market amounted to some 67 million tce, which represented a 4.2% increase on the previous year. Sales of German-mined coal, at 28.3 million tce, were 0.3 million tce down on 2002.
While deliveries to power stations showed a slight upturn, sales to the steelmakers and heat sector were on a downward trend. Production from the ten remaining collieries totalled 26.4 million tce, a figure fairly similar to the previous year’s result, as was also the case for underground output per man-shift, which was recorded at 6,540 kg saleable. The size of the workforce fell by 3,090 to stand at 45,580.
The size of the workforce fell by 3,090 to stand at 45,580. The year 2003 again saw the German economy unable to extricate itself from the stagnation that set-in in 2001. In real terms last year’s GDP barely reached the previous year’s result. During the first half-year the depressed global economic environment, combined with the continuing low level of demand at home, even resulted in a downturn in manufacturing output. Despite the revival of global economic activity and the signs of a recovery in German exports in the second half of 2003 the economic situation on the domestic front has not improved as had been hoped.
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For more information go to: Source: Verlag Glückauf GmbH |
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