2015年度报告Annual Report 2015.

我很高兴向大家介绍欧拉考2015年年度报告。今年对煤炭行业来说是忙碌的一年，它不仅要面对艰难的市场环境，还要面对激进的气候政策带来的诸多挑战。反化石燃料运动获得了新的势头，我们必须学会以不同的观点看待进步。许多人希望煤炭消失，但我们不能简单地抛弃欧洲的工业基础，希望享受未来的繁荣。气候政策的一个令人担忧的结果是，取消那些为经济增长创造条件的活动。为了那些需要负担得起和安全的电力消费者，我们应该避免依赖世界上不稳定的地区来获取我们的能源。鉴于关于“能源转型”的辩论，审查转型期煤炭的社会经济价值是正确的。对未来能源供应的展望受到了EURACOAL的欢迎，但谨慎的做法是，将这一愿景建立在当今能源供应的现实基础上，而不要忽视“老工业”仍然必须提供的服务。这一转变将在全球范围内进行：欧盟目前在世界舞台上的作用正在减弱，仅占全球能源需求的12.5%和全球温室气体排放的10%。过去几年，煤炭工业发生了很大变化。全球煤炭市场供过于求，价格低廉，对生产商不利。在巴黎举行的联合国气候变化框架公约第21届缔约方大会之前，各国发布了政策声明，旨在影响能源部门变得更具可持续性，但有些人担心目标不现实。EURACOAL始终相信自由和竞争的市场，在健全的能源政策的三个优先事项之间保持平衡：经济增长、供应安全和环境保护。在欧盟委员会，气候行动总司就与煤炭工业直接相关的问题与DG环境和DG能源合作。欧盟委员会认为，煤炭的持续使用与欧盟的脱碳目标不一致：到2050年，大部分煤炭消费的电力部门应该完全脱碳。欧洲理事会主席提出的能源联盟概念旨在促进包括煤炭在内的本土能源资源，并在谈判购买进口天然气时加强欧盟的地位。相反，能源联盟已成为气候政策的延伸，反映了应对人为气候变化的首要政治优先事项。面对今天的挑战，我们需要坚强起来，抓住煤炭的优势：煤炭资源丰富，价格合理，而且是可以利用的。我们需要继续开发新的洁净煤技术，进一步实现工业现代化。燃煤电厂能够很好地平衡风力涡轮机和太阳能光伏电池板的间歇输出。千百万年来，煤炭给人们带来了温暖和光明，并可以继续发挥这一作用，满足目前控制污染的所有要求，并保持在欧盟排放交易体系不断下降的温室气体排放上限以下。至少有一位美国总统候选人的演讲中已经可以听到这种做法的迹象。与此同时，能源联盟意味着摆脱由化石燃料驱动的经济。当我第一次听到这个提议时，我想到了我在石油和天然气行业的同事，他们和煤炭行业一样，现在受到威胁。不幸的是，一些公司假装自己不是真正的公司，甚至加入绿色运动，希望获得竞争优势。绿色非政府组织本身已经变得非常强大，富有的捐助者提供的资金远远超过其他利益集团所能获得的资金。许多人发起了反煤运动，媒体的存在影响到幼儿园的儿童、学校的学生、大学的学生和广大公众。企业纷纷加入，以利用一种偏爱昂贵能源而非竞争性能源的情绪。例如，一些人投资于反对煤炭的运动，因为如果没有“旧能源”的竞争，新能源融资将带来更大的回报。风险很高：谁将在能源转型期间积聚最多的财富？

I am pleased to present the EURACOAL Annual  Report 2015. It was a busy year for the coal  industry which had to face many challenges  arising not only from a difficult market  environment, but also from aggressive climate  policies. The anti-fossil fuels movement gained a  new momentum and we must learn to live with a  diversity of views on progress. Many would wish  coal to disappear, but we cannot simply throw  away Europe’s industrial base and hope to enjoy  future prosperity. Dismantling the very activities  that created the conditions for economic growth is  a worrying result of climate policy. For the sake of  electricity consumers who want affordability and  security, we should avoid becoming dependent on  unstable regions of the world for our energy. Given the debate on an “energy transition”, it is  right to examine the socio-economic value of coal  during the transition. A vision for the future of  energy supply is welcomed by EURACOAL, but it is  prudent to base that vision on the realities of  today’s energy supply and not to ignore what the  “old industries” still have to offer. The transition  will take place within a global context: the EU  now plays a diminishing role on the world stage,  accounting for just 12.5% of global energy  demand and 10% of global greenhouse gas  emissions. The last few years have seen much change for the  coal industry. The oversupplied global coal  market, with its low prices, is not favourable to  producers. Policy announcements, made in the lead up to the UNFCCC COP21 conference in Paris,  aim to influence the energy sector to become  more sustainable, but some are concerned about  unrealistic targets. EURACOAL has always  believed in free and competitive markets, with a  balance between the three priorities of a sound  energy policy: economic growth, security of  supply and environmental protection. At the European Commission, the DirectorateGeneral for Climate Action works with DG  Environment and DG Energy on issues of direct  interest to the coal industry. The Commission  sees the ongoing use of coal as inconsistent with  EU decarbonisation objectives: by 2050, the  electricity sector, where most coal is consumed,  should be completely decarbonised. The concept  of an Energy Union, proposed by the President of  the European Council, was intended to promote  indigenous energy resources, including coal, and  to strengthen the EU’s position when negotiating  to buy imported gas. Instead, Energy Union has  become an extension of climate policy, reflecting  the overriding political priority to tackle manmade climate change. We need to be strong in the face of today’s  challenges and hold onto the benefits of coal: it is  abundant, affordable and available. We need to  keep working on new clean coal technologies and  further modernise our industry. Coal-fired power  plants are well able to balance the intermittent  output from wind turbines and solar PV panels.  For eons, coal has brought warmth and light to  people and can continue in this role, meeting all  current requirements for pollution control and  staying below the declining greenhouse gas  emission cap of the EU emissions trading system. One can already hear signs of this approach in the  speeches of at least one of the US presidential  candidates. In the meantime, Energy Union implies a move  away from an economy driven by fossil fuels.  When I first heard of this proposal, I thought of  my colleagues in the oil and gas industry which,  like the coal industry, is now threatened.  Unfortunately, some companies pretend to be  something other than what they really are and  even align themselves to the green movement, in  the hope of gaining a competitive advantage. The green NGOs themselves have become very strong,  with financing from rich benefactors that far  exceeds what is available to other interest groups.  Many have sponsored anti-coal campaigns with a  media presence that influences children in  kindergartens, pupils at schools, students at  universities and the public at large. Corporations  are moving in to take advantage of a sentiment  that favours expensive sources of energy over  competitive sources. For example, some people  invest in campaigns against coal because, without  competition from “old energy”, new energy  financing promises greater returns. The stakes are  high: who will amass the most wealth during the  energy transition?