Energy & Science

Gas Is So Scarce in Europe That Coal Is Making a Comeback

Europe needs coal to meet power demand back at pre-Covid level
Gas inventories in Europe are 25% below the five-year average

Europe charges utilities such as steel producers for polluting the environment.Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

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By Vanessa Dezem, Jesper Starn, and Isis Almeida

June 15, 2021 at 6:00 AM UTC

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Europe is so short of natural gas that the continent -- usually seen as the poster child for the global fight against emissions -- is turning to coal to meet electricity demand that is now back to pre-pandemic levels.