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Coal is defined as a sedimentary rock composed predominantly of solid organic materials with a greater or lesser proportion of mineral matter. It is derived from the accumulation of plant remains in sedimentary basins, and is altered to solid rock by heat and pressure applied during the basin’s development. Its quality varies according to the content of ash, impurities, and volatile matter which decreases as coal rank gets higher. It has a natural dark brown to black, graphite-like appearance and is primarily used as a fuel. Types of coal according to increasing rank (in terms of hardness, purity and heating value) are peat, lignite, subbituminous, bituminous and anthracite. Worldwide, coal is a sought-after energy source. It has the largest reserve and is often the cheapest of the fuel options. Now that clean coal technologies are available, the demand for coal has remained steady despite the current stringent standard on environmental concerns. The Philippines is largely a coal consuming country with coal having the highest contribution to the power generation mix at 58% in 2021. But, local demand for coal is not limited to power generation. In 2021, the cement industry utilized 6.66% of the country’s coal supply, 7.08% went to other industries such as alcohol, sinter, rubber boots, paper and chemical manufacturing, fertilizer production and smelting processes. The coal industry has never been so robust than these past years. From a historical yearly average of 1.5 million MT, local coal production began increasing at a steady rate since 2002. Within a span of 19 years, annual coal production has reached to as high as 15.3 million MT in 2019 and 14.3 million MT in 2021. Consumption likewise, increase steadily as new coal-fired power plants are installed and industries switch to coal because of the highly volatile price of oil. Potentials The Philippines has a vast potential for coal resources just awaiting full exploration and development to contribute to the attainment of the country's energy self- sufficiency program. As of 31 December 2020, our in-situ coal reserves amount to 315 million metric tons or 13.29% of the country's total coal resource potential of 2.37 billion metric tons.

Coal Consumption

Coal Operating Contract Holders

Coal Production

Coal Reserves

2021 Coal Statistics