Coal 2015: A review of South Africa's coal sector

South Africa’s coal industry is the largest in Africa by some margin. It boasts the continent’s largest recoverable coal reserve and coal production base, making it one of the world’s top-ten coal-producing countries. According to the energy group BP’s ‘Statistical Review of World Energy 2015’ report, published in June, South Africa produced 3.8% of the world total of 8.16-billion tonnes of coal in 2014. South Africa’s energy sector remains dominated by coal, despite a growing focus on oil and gas, as well as the introduction of renewable-energy sources, making the country a large consumer of the fossil fuel. State-owned power utility Eskom, which operates 13 coal-fired power stations, is the largest consumer of coal, buying about 50% of the coal produced locally. However, it has been estimated that Eskom could face a 40-million-tonne-a-year to 60-million-tonne-a-year supply shortfall after 2018, owing to increased demand and underinvestment in new mining projects. Creamer Media’s Coal 2015 report examines South Africa’s coal industry with regard to the business environment, key participants in the sector, local demand, export sales and coal logistics, projects being undertaken by the large and smaller participants in the market, as well as various issues affecting the sector, such as industrial action and environmental considerations, among other topics.