Industry Analysis & Industry Trends
Coal miners have experienced only slight declines over the past five years. Strong demand from steel production abroad and moderate increases in electricity demand have pushed coal prices up, boosting industry performance. The next five years will likely be gloomy for the industry. Coal prices are expected to drop during four of the next five years, as slowing economic growth in major global markets (e.g. China) places downward pressure on product prices... purchase to read more
Industry Report - Industry Products Chapter
There are two main types of coal: brown coal (also known as lignite) and black coal (bituminous, subbituminous and anthracite coals). Black coal can be further broken down into thermal coal and metallurgical coal. Coal is categorized based on its content of carbon (i.e. energy) and moisture, which determine its value.
Thermal coal
Thermal coal is used to produce electricity. Thermal coal generally contains less carbon than metallurgical coal, making it unsuitable for making steel; instead, it has a relatively high energy content. Over 56.0% of the coal mined in Canada is thermal coal. This large share has been volatile during the past five years... purchase to read more