Canada ranks 5th in the world for coal reserves

Canada is sitting on nearly 4% of the world’s coal resources, with at least 80 billion tonnes of exploitable coal and 8 billion tonnes classified as commercially feasible under today’s conditions.

That puts Canada fifth in the world in terms of coal reserves, behind only the former Soviet Union, the US, China and Australia.

The numbers are contained in a new report by Research and Markets entitled Coal Industry in Canada.

The report says the reserves represent 100 years of supply at current production levels.

A few more interesting tidbits:

• Canada holds close to 10 billion tons of coal reserves which contribute approximately $5 billion to the economy annually.
• Coal meets about an eighth of Canada’s primary energy needs, mainly as a fuel for electricity generation.
• The Canadian steel industry depends on coal for the production of almost every ton of steel.
• The largest coal export markets for Canada are Japan and Korea.
• Almost the entire production of metallurgic coal in Canada is exported.
•  Canada’s environment ministry has proposed tougher regulations for coal-fired power plants, but they do not go far enough to help the country achieve its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets.
• Canada has some of the world’s most stringent standards for mine operations, worker safety and environmental protection.