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coal (electricity generation)

solid coal

DESNZ 2025 'Coal (electricity generation)' — the grade burned in UK power stations. It has both the lowest calorific value (23.826 GJ/tonne) and the lowest CO2e per tonne (2225.22448) of DESNZ's four coal rows, so using it for a household or industrial figure understates both. No density is recorded (coal is sold by mass).

  • Coal energy and emission factors vary widely by rank, region and moisture/ash content. This entry is DESNZ 'Coal (electricity generation)' (UK context). No density is available (coal is sold by mass), so volume conversions are not available.

Easily confused with

Different products with different numbers. Check you are on the right one.

Density

Not available.

Heating values

LHV/NCV
  • 23.826 MJ/kg
HHV/GCV
  • 25.08 MJ/kg
Source for all values above

Emission factors

CO₂ ≠ CO₂e — separate metrics, never converted into one another. What these metrics mean →

Worked example: 1 kg coal (electricity generation) converted to every unit
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Converting
1 kg · coal (electricity generation)

At a glance

All results

Energy

Same energy expressed in other units.

Net calorific value · LHV/NCV

LHV vs. HHV — what is the difference?
source-based every figure below
23.83 MJ
6.618 kWh
0.02383 GJ
22,580 BTU

Gross calorific value · HHV/GCV

source-based every figure below
25.08 MJ
6.967 kWh
0.02508 GJ
23,770 BTU

Mass

exact every figure below
1,000,000 mg
1,000 g
1 kg
0.001 t
~2.20462 lb

Emissions

CO₂ and CO₂e are separate — never derived from each other.

~2.23 kg CO₂e
region + year

Energy density

Energy per unit of mass or volume.

Net calorific value · LHV/NCV

LHV vs. HHV — what is the difference?
23.83 MJ/kg
source-based

Assumptions

  • heating value basis: energy on LHV/NCV basis, 23.826 MJ/kg
  • heating value basis: energy on HHV/GCV basis, 25.08 MJ/kg

Sources

Follow each source back to its primary document — that traceability is the point. How conversions work →

Sources