It
has been estimated that there are over 861 billion tonnes of proven
coal reserves worldwide. This means that there is enough coal to last us
around 112 years at current rates of production. In contrast, proven
oil and gas reserves are equivalent to around 46 and 54 years at current
production levels.
Coal reserves are available in almost every
country worldwide, with recoverable reserves in around 70 countries. The
biggest reserves are in the USA, Russia, China and India. After
centuries of mineral exploration, the location, size and characteristics
of most countries' coal resources are quite well known. What tends to
vary much more than the assessed level of the resource - i.e. the
potentially accessible coal in the ground - is the level classified as
proved recoverable reserves. Proved recoverable reserves is the tonnage
of coal that has been proved by drilling etc. and is economically and
technically extractable.
Definitions
Resource | The
amount of coal that may be present in a deposit or coalfield. This does
not take into account the feasibility of mining the coal economically.
Not all resources are recoverable using current technology. |
Reserves | Reserves
can be defined in terms of proved (or measured) reserves and probable
(or indicated) reserves. Probable results have been estimated with a
lower degree of confidence than proved reserves. |
Proved Reserves | Reserves
that are not only considered to be recoverable but can also be
recovered economically. This means they take into account what current
mining technology can achieve and the economics of recovery. Proved
reserves will therefore change according to the price of coal; if the
price of coal is low proved reserves will decrease. |
Over recent
years there has been a fall in the reserves to production (RP) ratio,
which has prompted questions over whether we have reached 'peak coal'.
Peak coal is the point in time at which the maximum global coal
production rate is reached after which the rate of production will enter
irreversible decline. However, recent falls in the RP ratio can be
attributed to the lack of incentives to prove up reserves, rather than a
lack of coal resources.
Exploration activity is typically
carried out by mining companies with short planning horizons rather than
state-funded geological surveys. There is no economic need for
companies to prove long-term reserves.
All fossil fuels will
eventually run out and it is essential that we use them as efficiently
as possible. Coal reserves could be extended further through a number of
developments including:
- the discovery of new reserves through ongoing and improved exploration activities;
- advances in mining techniques, which will allow previously inaccessible reserves to be reached.
Additionally,
significant improvements continue to be made in how efficiently coal is
used so that more energy can be generated from each tonne of coal
produced.
Coal Exploration
Coal
reserves are discovered through exploration activities. The process
usually involves creating a geological map of the area, then carrying
out geochemical and geophysical surveys, followed by exploration
drilling. This allows an accurate picture of the area to be developed.
The area will only ever become a mine if it is large enough and of
sufficient quality that the coal can be economically recovered. Once
this has been confirmed, mining operations begin.
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