Weekly US coal production rises 13.9% on week, dips 12.2% on year: EIA

Weekly US coal production was at 11.21 million st in the week ended Jan. 9, up 13.9% from a week earlier, but 12.2% lower than the year-ago week, according to a Jan. 14 US Energy Information Administration report.

It was the second straight week and ninth time in the last 21 weeks that all four major basins saw weekly increases.

The total for Week 2 was the lowest total for the corresponding week in over 11 years and was also 19% lower than the five-year average.

Despite the lower production, utility stockpiles remain higher on a days of burn basis, as bituminous stocks were at 129 days cover at the end of October, while subbituminous stocks were at 105 days, up 27.7% and 29.6% year over year, respectively, according to the latest EIA data. Meanwhile, US stockpiles totaled an estimated 130.18 million st, as of Jan. 7, up roughly 1% from a year earlier, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics.

For the latest week, estimated coal production in Wyoming and Montana, which is primarily made up of production from the Powder River Basin, was at 5.19 million st, up 12.2% from the prior week but 9.3% lower than the year-ago week.

Since Jan. 1, the states have produced 6.51 million st, down 10.2% from the same period in 2020.

In Central Appalachia, estimated weekly coal production moved to 1.26 million st, up 16.3% from a week earlier but 18.5% lower than the year-ago week. It was the second-highest weekly production for the region in the last nine months.

Year-to-date production in Central Appalachia was down 19.6% year on year at 1.57 million st.

Coal production in Northern Appalachia was at 1.5 million st, up 12.1% from the prior week but 16.6% below the year-ago week. Year-to-date production was 17.5% lower than a year ago at 1.88 million st.

In the Illinois Basin, estimated weekly coal production was at 1.33 million st, up 15.1% from the previous week but down 21.6% from the year-ago week. Cumulative production was at 1.65 million st, down 22.7% on the year.

Through the first two weeks of the year, US coal production totaled an estimated 14.04 million st, down 13.1% year on year.