No one can deny that coal has, &
will remain a valuable source of energy, all over the world. The industrial revolution was powered by coal. This great industry had been widely expected to make, a significant contribution to the future energy needs of the world. However, over the period of years, it has been under pressure from various other sources. The costs of availability of energy have been varying, from source to source & from time to time. The consideration of environment factor has risen over the period of years. The future of the coal industry has been going up & down. The book covers study of past
policies, trends in the market for hard coal in Europe, share of coal in the primary market, projection of coal demand & targeted production. In its five Chapters, this book has determination of past & future policies for hard coal production, based on political & economic factors, & interaction of environmental & energy policies, as its central theme, & is the result of detailed study &
analysis. Emphasis has been given on data & tabular presentation. The author brings to bear his knowledge & personal experience, concerning the various issues. On the whole, the author has made a good contribution by writing this book, which should be read through seriously, so that economic, political & environmental factors are considered, by those who generate public opinion, to influence reviewing, & framing up of future policies. This book is useful for engineers engaged in the field of energy, academicians, researchers, politicians & other professionals.