2. Coal preparation

2.1 Role of the preparation stage

With the definitive cessation of coal mining in France in 2004, most coal is now imported to sea and river ports, where it is prepared for sale to end users.

Seaports receiving coal in France include Dunkirk, Fos sur Mer (thermal & steel), Le Havre and Montoir de Bretagne (thermal), not forgetting Antwerp and Rotterdam, which supply eastern France via the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Other ports, such as Rouen/Grand Couronne, Bordeaux and Sète, receive cargoes of solid fuels for industry in smaller volumes. Various river wharves complete the French logistics network, with facilities located on the Moselle between Thionville and Nancy, south of Lyon, in Gennevilliers, Denain, Givet and Aire sur la Lys.

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