US coal production totaled an estimated 15.5 million st in the week ended December 9, down 1% from the prior week but up 0.4% from the year-ago week, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday.
It was a relatively robust estimate, given that stockpiles remain elevated from a days of burn perspective, according to market sources.
Seaport Global analyst Mark Levin, citing a report from Energy Ventures Analysis, said in a research note Thursday that stockpiles on a days of burn basis at the end of October stood at roughly 79 days for utilities that burn Powder River Basin coal, and 92 days for Illinois Basin coal. Stockpiles are higher because of low power demand
Platts Analytics estimated that total utility coal stockpiles stood at 141.1 million st as of last Thursday.
For the recently concluded week, coal production in Wyoming and Montana, which primarily consists of coal from the Powder River Basin, totaled an estimated 7.29 million st, down 1.6% compared with last week and down 0.5% from the year-ago week.
On an annualized basis, coal production in Wyoming and Montana would total 356.8 million st, up 8.2% from last year.
In Central Appalachia, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 1.67 million st, down 0.8% from last week but up 6.6% from last year. Annualized 2017 production would total 88.4 million st, up 15.6% from last year.
In Northern Appalachia, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 2.16 million st, down 0.2% from last week but up 3.3% from the year-ago week. Annualized production would total 110.3 million st, up 8.3% from last year.
In the Illinois Basin, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 1.98 million st, down 0.1% from last week but up 1.6% from last year. Annualized production would total 105.1 million st, up 6.8% from 2016.
Based on the most recent EIA estimates and first-quarter revisions, US coal production in 2017 on an annualized basis would total 785.4 million st, up 7.8% from last year.
