Coal consumption in Denmark has fallen by a good 31 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. This is shown by the Danish Energy Agency's preliminary energy statistics, the agency writes in a press release. The energy statistics provide an overall overview of Denmark's energy production and consumption.
The Energy Agency's statistics also show how renewable energy - primarily from biomass and wind power - "more than offset the decline in coal consumption". This follows the trend, where Danish coal consumption has fallen by almost 90 percent since 2010. According to Deputy Director of the Danish Energy Agency, Stine Leth Rasmussen, the new figures show that coal is rapidly becoming a thing of the past in Danish electricity production.
- The phasing out of coal is a central piece in the green transition and crucial for meeting Denmark's ambitious climate goals. It is therefore gratifying that we can see that coal consumption has decreased significantly last year, she says in the press release.
The Danish Energy Agency also writes that the use of coal was discontinued at both the Fynsværket and the Esbjergværket during the past year. This means that coal in electricity and district heating production is now only the main fuel at the Nordjyllandsværket, the agency writes. As a consequence of the decrease in coal consumption, Denmark's actual CO2 emissions from energy consumption fell by 4.4 percent in 2024, it says.
While we are seeing a decrease in total coal consumption in Denmark, things are not going the same way on a global level. In December, a report from the UN's International Energy Agency (IEA) stated that it was expected that the world's total consumption of coal would reach a record level for the third year in a row. According to the agency's report, coal consumption is expected to peak in 2027 and then probably decline again.
Burning coal is one of the most polluting ways to generate electricity. Scientists have warned for decades about the effects of burning coal - including air pollution and climate change. Burning releases greenhouse gases, which make it harder for the Earth to release its heat. This causes temperatures to rise, which can have major consequences for, among other things, ocean currents and weather systems.
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