Advances in coal mining technology - ScienceDirect
01.01.2013· 7.1. Introduction. According to the World Coal Association, annual worldwide production of coal in 2011 was 6637 million tonnes (Mt) of hard coal and 1041 Mt of brown coal/lignite.* and cement manufacture, and is the primary fuel for electricity generation worldwide (coal-fired power plants currently produce 41% of global electricity). At present extraction rates, coal will continue to be a ...