Development of the coal industry in the socialist countries - members of the CMEA

Abstract

The coal industry, despite structural changes in fuel consumption, continues to be one of the most important branches of the fuel industry.In the CMEA countries, progressive changes in the fuel balance are expressed in a faster growth of oil and natural gas production and an increase in their specific weight in the balance of fuel production and consumption. However, these changes occur on a systematic basis and cannot lead to a crisis of overproduction in the coal industry, as it is observed in a number of Western European countries. As can be seen from the data of Table 1, in all CMEA countries coal production is growing.