Coal: Black moods

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UK Only Article: 
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Entangled

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Coal

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Coal’s woes are spreading. But it still has its fans

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CHEAP but dirty now, clean and still affordable sometime in the future. That used to be the coal industry’s pitch. But changing public moods about pollution, and stubbornly costly new technology, are denting the coalmen’s mood.
The biggest surprise is the slowdown in consumption in China, which burns half the world’s coal. Last year’s fall in demand no longer looks like a blip. In the first four months of 2015 it fell 8% year-on-year (and imports dropped by a stonking 38%). Environmental worries are spurring China to increase energy efficiency and boost its use of natural gas and renewables, particularly wind power. The economic slowdown has especially hit demand for the higher-quality (and more profitable) coal used in steelmaking.

Another big blow to the coal industry comes from cheap natural gas in North America. This is by far …<div class="og_rss_groups"></div>
Source: Utilities
Coal: Black moods