US coal production to decline by 2% to 756 million short tons in 2018 – EIA

18 june 2018

EIA forecasts U.S. coal production to decline by 2% to 756 million short tons (MMst) in 2018.

According to EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, the production decrease is largely attributable to a forecast decline of 5% in domestic coal consumption in 2018, with most of the decline is expected to be in the electric power sector.

A forecast decline of 4% in coal exports also contributes to lower expected coal production in 2018. EIA expects coal production to decline by 2% in 2019, EIA says.

EIA is also expects the share of U.S. total utility-scale electricity generation from natural gas-fired power plants to rise from 32% in 2017 to 34% in 2018 and 2019.

The forecast electricity generation share from coal averages 28% in 2018 and 2019, down from 30% in 2017.

The nuclear share of generation was 20% in 2017 and is forecast to be 20% in 2018 and 19% in 2019. Non hydropower renewables provided slightly less than 10% of electricity generation in 2017 and are expected to provide more than 10% in 2018 and nearly 11% in 2019. The generation share of hydropower was 7% in 2017 and is forecast to be about the same in 2018 and 2019, EIA noted in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook.

Source: COALSPOT