Coking coal will stay on the EU list of critical raw materials after Poland, a key producer, succeeded in persuading the European Commission to keep it there.
The updated list was published last week as part of the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, presented by the European Commission on Thursday (16 March).
Of key importance to Poland, coking coal serves the production of steel used, among other things, in wind turbines.
Polish company Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A. is the EU’s largest producer of that material in the European Union.
“We succeeded! Coking coal (will remain) a raw material in the European Union. I am pleased that the European Commission again acceded to my appeal – especially when we cut off Russian energy sources and are accelerating the green transition,” tweeted Jerzy Buzek, a former European Parliament President and currently MEP from the opposition Civic Coalition (PO, EPP).
The Commission’s decision to allow coking coal to remain on the list will facilitate gaining EU funds for future investments connected to coking coal and creating jobs, said Buzek.
Coking coal is essential for Poland’s steel industry. At the same time, steel is needed for the building of wind turbines, solar panels and the development of the railway industry, the MEP added, quoted by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
The Commission published its first list Critical Raw Materials in 2011. It has since updated it every four years with materials that “are crucial to technologies important to Europe’s green and digital ambitions and for defence and space applications,” the Commission said.
The Critical Raw Materials Act, published last week, sets benchmarks for domestic production capacity along the entire raw materials supply chain, to be attained by 2030. Those include: at least 10% of the EU’s annual consumption for extraction, at least 40% for processing, and at least 15% for recycling.
In addition, the act sets an objective for diversification of supply, with not more than 65% of any strategic raw material originating from a single third country.
EU unveils Critical Raw Materials Act, aiming to lessen dependence on China
The European Commission unveiled the new regulation on Thursday (16 March), setting targets for the production, refining and recycling of key raw materials needed for the green and digital transitions.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | EURACTIV.pl)
Source: euractiv.com
