Coal is a major source of fuel for electricity generation in many countries. Relatively cheap and abundantly available, coal will continue to play a significant role in power production for years to come. I came across the following chart showing coal use in electricity generation in select countries:

Click to enlarge

Source: Coal and Electricity Generation, World Coal Association

France depends on nuclear energy for most if its electricity needs. Hence it has the lowest coal use at just 5%. China and India on the other hand, use coal for most of their electricity generation.The U.S. is in the middle of the group generating about 45% of its total electric power from coal. Canada and Russia use other sources of fuel for most of their power production. Though Germany currently has a high percentage of coal use, the country is rapidly moving to other sources for its electricity needs.

Related ETF:

Market Vectors-Coal ETF (KOL)

Disclosure: No Positions