Coking coal - Really a critical raw material of the European Union?

Abstract

In 2011, the European Union issued its first Critical Minerals List (CRM), which was subsequently updated three times in 2014, 2017 and 2020. In the second update of the list, in 2014, coking coal was included for the first time and remained on the list in the most recent update in 2020, although reactions to the inclusion of coking coal in the CRM were mixed. This contribution focus on the reasons for including coking coal in the EU list of critical minerals. It also reflects the information that should be available if a mineral is included in the list of critical minerals, but which is either missing or difficult to obtain in the case of coking coal. The authors divide such crucial information into two groups: the occurrence of coking coal within the bituminous coal deposits, including balances of its reserves and the relationship of coking coal production to the economic performance of coal mines. The article also touches on the impact of the efforts of EU countries to move away from coal exploitation on the supply of coking coal. In the coking coal segment, these trends have a specific context. The current article deals with these problems, but also with the consideration of the usefulness of including (or retaining) coking coal in the list of critical minerals of the European Union.