US weekly coal output decline 4.5 percent

2-exclusive

U.S., the world’s second largest coal producing country, have produced an estimated 15.2 million short tons (mmst) of coal for the week ending February 10, 2018, EIA said in its latest report.

According to EIA’s latest report, this production estimate is 4.5% lower than last week’s estimate and 6.6% lower than the production estimate in the comparable week in 2017.

East of the Mississippi River produced an estimated 6.1 mmst (down 6.15 percent) and west of the Mississippi River produced an estimated 9.1 mmst (down 3.19 per cent) according to weekly figures released by the US Energy Information Agency (EIA), on February 15, 2018.

U.S. year-to-date (as of February 10, 2017) coal production totalled at an estimated 85.1 mmst, 7.7% lower than the comparable year-to-date coal production in 2017.

EIA estimates U.S. coal production was 772 mmst in 2017, 44 mmst (6%) higher than in 2016. Forecast coal production declines by 2% to 760 mmst in 2018 and then increases slightly to 762 mmst in 2019.

Lower expected global demand for U.S. coal exports (down 16% in 2018 and another 4% in 2019) and lower forecasts of coal use in the electric power sector (1% lower in 2018 and another 2% lower in 2019) contribute to the forecast of declining coal production.

Source: EIA