Romania's coal production reached 6.7 million tonnes equivalent petrol in 2011, 14.1 percent higher than the year before, but accounting for only 0.2 percent of the worldwide coal production, according to British Petroleum statistics.

China ranked first worldwide, with 1.9 billion tonnes equivalent petrol (tep), followed by the US, 556 million tep. The EU production was of 164 million tep, 4.2 percent of the total in the world.

Romania used 7.1 million tonnes of coal equivalent petrol, an increase of 16.6 percent on 2010 and also accounting for 0.2 percent of the worldwide consumption.

China was also the biggest consumer for coal, with 1.8 billion tep, followed by the US – 501 million rep, and India, with 295 million tep. The EU consumed 285 million tep, some 7.7 percent of the worldwide consumption.

Romania's coal reserves were at 291 million tonnes last year. The highest reserves of coal in the world are in the US, with 237 billion tonnes, Russia – 157 billion tonnes and China, 114 billion tonnes. The EU had reserves accounting for 6.5 percent of the total – some 56 billion tonnes.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)