By Olivia Kalb

February 6, 2019 - Illinois Basin coal production totaled almost 26.3 million st in the fourth quarter of 2018, up 2.8% from Q3 and up 8.2% from the year-ago quarter, Mine Health and Safety Administration data showed in January.

For the year, production was nearly 105 million st in the basin, up 1.8% from 2017 production.

This was the highest annual production from the basin since 2015 annual output totaled 123 million st, along with the highest Q4 production since 2015 when Q4 output totaled 26.4 million st.

Peabody Energy's Bear Run mine, the largest coal mine in the eastern US, produced over 1.7 million st in Q4 and nearly 6.9 million st throughout 2018. Production at the mine fell 2.5% from Q3 and dropped 1.4% from the year-ago quarter, while annual production fell 5.3% from the year prior.

MC#1, a Foresight Energy mine, was the basin's top producer, with an output of almost 3.8 million st in Q4 and over 14.4 million st for the year.

While production from the mine jumped 26.3% from the year-ago quarter and 12.8% from 2017 annual production, Q4 output fell 2% from Q3.

Alliance Resource Partner's River View mine produced 2.6 million st in the fourth quarter, up 7% from the prior quarter and up 16.3% from the year-ago quarter.

Annual output from the mine totaled almost 9.8 million st, up 8.8% from 2017 output.

On a company basis, Alliance mines produced nearly 7.4 million st in Q4, up 9% quarter on quarter and up 6.6% from the year-ago quarter, and 29 million st in 2018, up 6.6% from the prior year.

Peabody mine output totaled over 4.5 million st in the fourth quarter, down 0.2% from Q3 and up 0.7% from Q4 2017. Annually, Peabody mines produced nearly 18.6 million st, down 0.9% from 2017.

Arch Coal production in the Illinois Basin totaled over 1.5 million st in Q4, down 2.5% from Q3 and up 5.7% from the year-ago quarter.

Arch's annual output was nearly 6.3 million st, up 4.9% from 2017 production.

By state, Illinois mines produced 12.2 million st in Q4 and over 49.1 million st annually.

Indiana mines produced 8.4 million st in the fourth quarter and 33.1 million st in 2018, and Kentucky production totaled 5.7 million st in the most recent quarter and almost 22.7 million st for the year.

While Illinois and Indiana annual outputs rose by 2.1% and 5.8%, respectively, from 2017, Kentucky production dropped 4% annually.