US coal production dips 11.7pct drop year to date – EIA

Weekly US coal production totaled an estimated 13 million short tons in the week ended July 7, down 11.1% from the prior week and up 4.1% from the year-ago week. Energy Information Administration data showed that this was the highest week-on-week drop year to date, followed by the week ended June 2, which saw a 10% decrease. It was also the second lowest week of production all year, since the week ended January 6.

For the recently-concluded week, coal production in Wyoming and Montana, which is mostly made up of production from the Powder River Basin, totaled an estimated 5.9 million short tons, down 8.6% from last week and down 2.2% compared with the year-ago week.

On an annualized basis, production in the two states would total 335 million short tons, down 4.5% from last year.

In Central Appalachia, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 1.6 million short tons, down 14.1% from last week and up 21% from last year. Annualized production would total 97.3 million short tons, up 6.2% from 2017.

Weekly coal production in Northern Appalachia totaled an estimated 1.7 million short tons, down 13.8% from last week and up 8.2% compared with last year. Annualized production would total 100.5 million st, down 4.3% from last year.

In the Illinois Basin, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 1.4 million short tons, down 16.2% from last week and up 9.1% from last year. Annualized production in the basin would total 102 million short tons, down 1.3% from 2017.

Through the first 27 weeks of the year, US coal production totaled an estimated 389.8 million st, and would total an estimated 750.7 million short tons on an annualized basis, down 3% from last year.

Source: PLATTS