Weekly US coal production falls across all basins: EIA

23-Oct-2018

Weekly US coal production totaled an estimated 14.5 million st in the week that ended October 13, down 1.9% from a week earlier and also down 3.8% from the year-ago week, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday.

It was the fourth time in the last eight weeks that all four basins saw week-on-week decreases.

The total for Week 41 was also 15% lower than the five-year average of 17.06 million st for the corresponding week.

Utility stockpiles remain low on an aggregate basis, totaling an estimated 110.5 million st as of October 11, down roughly 17% from a year earlier, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics.

For the latest week, coal production in Wyoming and Montana, which is primarily made up of production from the Powder River Basin, totaled an estimated 6.58 million st, down 2.9%from last week and 3.4% from the year-ago week.

On an annualized basis, production in the two states would total 338 million st, down 3.9% from a year ago.

In Central Appalachia, estimated weekly coal production totaled 1.88 million st, down 0.3% from a week earlier but up 5.4% from the year-ago week. Annualized production would total 96.93 million st, up 5.8% year on year.

Weekly coal production in Northern Appalachia totaled an estimated 1.96 million st, down 2.2% from last week and 6.3% from the year-ago week. Annualized NAPP production would total 103.1 million st, down 1.8% from last year.

In the Illinois Basin, estimated weekly coal production was at 1.54 million st, down 0.8% from last week and 3.5% lower than the year-ago week. Annualized production in the IB basin would total 104.94 million st, up 1.3% from 2017 totals.

Through the first 41 weeks of the year, US coal production totals an estimated 591.68 million st, down 2.9% year on year, while production on an annualized basis is expected around 751.15 million st, down 3% from last year.

Source: S&P GLOBAL PLATTS