European reserves are dominated by two countries: Germany (21%) and the Russian Federation (50%). In respect of bituminous reserves, Germany, Poland, Russian Federation and the Ukraine account for over 95% of the European total.

Significant changes between these results and those of the previous Survey are recorded by nine countries: Australia, Canada, Hungary, India, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, and the USA.

Poland recorded the largest increase in bituminous reserves over the previous Survey (68%), followed by India (13%), while US bituminous reserves increased by 4%.

South Africa’s and Australia’s bituminous reserves have both been reduced by 10%, whilst Canada’s considerably smaller proved reserves have fallen 23%.

Hungary’s reported reserves have been seriously downgraded to almost non-existent under the bituminous and sub-bituminous categories – and halved under the lignite category. In global terms, this adjustment by Hungary is not significant (previously accounting for less than 0.5% of total proved recoverable reserves of coal); however, at the national level, Hungary has now no reported bituminous reserves, with only small sub-bituminous reserves (80 million tonnes) and just over a billion tonnes of lignite.



Romania has also reported a very significant downgrading of its coal reserves which were concentrated in the sub-bituminous and lignite categories. This revision removes almost all reported reserves of sub-bituminous coal (from 810 Mt down to 35 Mt) and a halving of lignite reserves (2 800 Mt down to 1 421 Mt).

Turkey’s reported proved recoverable reserves – mostly in the form of sub-bituminous coal and lignite – are now well over three times the level advised for the 1998 Survey.

Continue...