Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what research his Department has undertaken on the factors responsible for the recent increase in coal consumption globally; and if he will make a statement.

The Department draws on a variety of data sources, such as the International Energy Agency, to analyse global energy trends. According to the International Energy Agency, global coal demand rose by around 1% in 2017, but this followed declines in the previous two years. The increase in 2017 is also well below the average annual growth rate of the preceding decade which was 3.3% and global coal demand is still well below its 2014 peak. Coal demand from the power sector drove the increase; lower demand from industry went some way to offset that. Developing economies in emerging Asia saw the largest increases, while demand fell in Europe and the United States.