Do You Know about the Three Coal Giants in Asia?

The top coal producing countries account for about 90% of the world’s total coal production with China leading the list. China has been by far the biggest coal producing country over the last three decades. The country produced about 3.6 billion tons of coal in 2013 accounting for over 50% of the world's total coal output. The country is also a giant consumer of coal accounting for more than half of the world's total coal consumption in 2013, importing 289 million tons of coal also making it the world's biggest coal importer.

China possesses the world's third biggest coal reserves, estimated at 114.5Bt as of December 2013 with around 12,000 coal producing mines spread across 28 provinces. Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and Xinjiang are the biggest coal producing provinces in the country. About half of China's coal is used for power generation, which accounts for over 80% of the country's electricity output.

India also becomes one of the largest big coal producers in Asia. India was also the third biggest coal consumer accounting for eight percent of the world's coal consumption in the same year. India imported 160Mt of coal in 2013 becoming the third biggest coal importer after China and Japan.

Russia holds the world's second biggest proven coal reserves and the Kuzbass region contributing over 200Mt of coal output is the biggest coal producing region in Russia followed by the East Siberia, Kansk Achinsk and the Far East regions. Approximately 66% of the country's coal output comes from open pit mining operations.