Coal: the changes of an industry

If the sustained growth in world demand for solid fuel continued, will offer follow? The new coal geography map that is in place since the 1973-1979 oil crises prompts one to answer in the affirmative. In the United States, China, Australia, South Africa, Columbia, Indonesia or Russia alike, the use of capital from steel, oil, electrical and other industries (via the banking system) has cause deep reorganizations. Forced to adjust to the price decrease on highly competitive markets, companies have changed their production methods (opencast, big size) to increase work productivity and reduce production costs. To do so, they banked on industrial concentration and caused a new coal industry to emerge. The latter seems prepared, through its direct investments or those that it raises (rail and maritime industry) to meet demands. (author)