Weekly US coal production totaled an estimated 13.78 million st in the holiday-shortened week ended January 7, up 11.1% from the previous week and up 19.6% from the year-ago week, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday.
Despite the stronger comparisons, production was off 19.6% from the five-year average for the first week of the year, as weak demand continues to make an impact on coal producers.
Coal production in 2016 dipped to 738.7 million st, the lowest total since 1978, as cheap natural gas and warm weather led to increased producer rationalization.
The EIA estimates coal production in 2017 will total 790 million st.
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 5.7 million st, up 2.2% from the prior week and up 5.7% compared with the year-ago week.
In Central Appalachia, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 1.4 million st, up 18.1% from the prior week and down 16.3% from last year.
Weekly coal production in Northern Appalachia totaled an estimated 2.1 million st, up 19.2% from the prior week and up 37.8% compared with last year.
In the Illinois Basin, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 1.9 million st, up 17.9% from the prior week and up 26.1% from last year.
