Coal deficiency can cause a strong blow to Germany and Poland, reports Politico.
Before the start of the war in Ukraine, the EU imported coal from Russia. In April, the European Union imposed sanctions against Russia, which prohibit the import of Russian coal from August 10. In July, Europe received the last two million tons of Russian coal.
In recent months, the cost of coal in the Rotterdam market reached $ 380 per ton, in seven months the coal has risen four times.
In Germany, a coal deficiency will most hit the steel and chemical industry, the electronic industry will also suffer.
Poland will suffer more, in which there are not enough fuel reserves. In Poland, about two million households use stone coal for heating. According to experts, the country may not be enough about two million tons of coal.
Theoretically, Europe can import coal from Indonesia, South Africa and Colombia, but this is difficult to carry out due to logistics. In addition, the EU usually uses coal with a higher energy content that other countries cannot offer.