October 3, 2018 - According to the US Energy Information Administration’s Quarterly Coal Report, US coal production in the second quarter of this year fell by 3.7 percent from the previous quarter and is also down in year-over-year comparisons.

Highlights for Second-Quarter 2018

US coal production during second–quarter 2018 totalled 180.8 million short tons, which was 3.7 percent lower than the previous quarter and 3.4 percent lower than second–quarter 2017.

Production in the Western Region, which represented about 52.3 percent of total US coal production in second–quarter 2018, totalled about 94.6 million short tons (5.5 percent lower than second–quarter 2017).

Second–quarter 2018 US coal exports (30.9 million short tons) increased 13.4 percent from first–quarter 2018. The average price of U.S. coal exports during second–quarter 2018 was $103.26 per short ton.

The United States continued to import coal primarily from Colombia (68.4 percent), Canada (13.6 percent), and Indonesia (17.2 percent). No imports were recorded from Australia for second–quarter 2018. US coal imports in second–quarter 2018 totalled 1.5 million short tons and the average price of US coal imports during second–quarter 2018 was $82.95 per short ton.

Steam coal exports totalled 13.9 million short tons (12.8 percent higher than first–quarter 2018). Metallurgical coal exports totalled 16.9 million short tons (13.9 percent higher than first–quarter 2018).

U.S. coal consumption totalled 156.9 million short tons in second-quarter 2018, which was 6.4 percent lower than the 167.7 million short tons reported in first–quarter 2018 and 6 percent lower than the 166.9 million short tons reported in second–quarter 2017.

The electric power sector accounted for about 92.1 percent of the total US coal consumption in second–quarter 2018. 

Second–quarter 2018 coal stocks dropped to 147.9 million short tons from 155 million short tons at the end of first–quarter 2018 (4.6 percent decrease). Stocks in the electric power sector decreased to 121.5 million short tons from 126.4 million short tons at the end of first–quarter 2018, the sixth consecutive decrease since the end of fourth–quarter 2016.