Weekly US coal production totaled an estimated 16.1 million st in the week that ended Saturday, 3.9% below the previous week but 17.7% above the year-ago week, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday.
Production has risen on year-on-year basis as increased consumption for electricity generation has driven down stockpiles by more than 18% to an estimated 154.9 million st, according to estimates from Platts Analytics' Bentek Energy.
On an annualized basis, coal production would total 810.5 million st, although the EIA estimates coal production in 2017 will total 790 million st.
Last year, the US produced 738.7 million st, which was the lowest total since 1978 as less-expensive natural gas and warm weather led to outage cutbacks.
In the recently concluded week, coal output in Wyoming and Montana -- mostly made up of production from the Powder River Basin -- totaled an estimated 6.7 million st, down 5.7% from the prior week and 16.2% higher than in the year-ago week.
In Central Appalachia, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 1.6 million st, down 3.7% from the prior week and up 6.9% year on year.
Weekly coal production in Northern Appalachia totaled an estimated 2.4 million st, down 1.8% from the prior week and up 26.6% compared with last year.
In the Illinois Basin, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 2.3 million st, down 3.6% from the prior week and up 12.5% from a year ago.
