Germany closes last black coal mine

Time:2018-12-24 09:58:45      Source: xinhuanet.com

Germany on Friday closed its last black coal mine of Prosper-Haniel mine in the northern region of Ruhr, marking the end of an over 150-year-old industry.
 
At the closing ceremony, miners handed a symbolic last lump of coal to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
 
Alongside Steinmeier, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and North Rhine-Westphalia's prime minister Armin Laschet also attended the ceremony.
 
However, the closure of the last mine does not immediately end the use of coal in Germany. For power generation and for steel mills, German coal will be replaced entirely by imported coal. This year, hard coal accounted to 13 percent of German electricity generation.
 
In 2007, the German government, the coal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland as well as the mining union IG BCE had agreed to end hard coal mining in the country. Back then, the German coal industry employed around 33,000 staff in coal mines.
 
Currently, there are still 3,500 miners employed in Germany's coal business. Special early retirement regulations ensured that the number of workers could be decreased without sacking the affected staff.
 
Black coal mines once dominated the surrounding of Ruhr region, employing up to half a million people at their peak in the 1950s, but have since been in decline.
Index RMB/t DoD Basis Date
Datong 5500 455 0 ex-mine 07-01
Shuozhou 5200 445 0 FOR 07-01
Ordos 5500 420 0 ex-mine 07-01
Yulin 6200 540 0 ex-mine 07-01
Liulin Low-sulphur 565 0 ex-mine 07-01
Gujiao Low-sulphur 1095 0 FOR 07-01
Xingtai Low-sulphur 1210 0 ex-Factory 07-01
Yangquan PCI 795 0 FOR 07-01
Index RMB/t WoW WoW% Date
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