EU Countries Hunt for Global Coal Stocks as Russian Ban Looms

EU Countries Hunt for Global Coal Stocks as Russian Ban Looms
The lignite (brown coal) power plant complex of German energy supplier and utility RWE is reflected in a large puddle in Neurath, northwest of Cologne, Germany, on Feb. 5, 2020. Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters
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LONDON—European buyers are increasing shipments of coal from across the globe against a backdrop of a proposed European Union ban on Russian imports and the scramble to relieve tight gas supplies, according to data and shipping sources.

The European Commission on Tuesday proposed new sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on buying Russian coal and on Russian ships entering EU ports.