US weekly coal production totals 8.2 million st; at new 2020 weekly low: EIA

Weekly US coal production was estimated at approximately 8.2 million st in the week ended May 16, down 1.6% from the previous week, Energy Information Administration data showed.

Output declined 44.6% year on year. Over 20 weeks of the year, US production was about 212 million st, down 42.9% compared with the year-ago period.

The five-year average for week 20 is 14.1 million st, leaving the most recent week at a 42% deficit.

While the most recent week had the lowest weekly output so far in 2020, driven by lows in the Central Appalachian basin and the Illinois Basin, Northern Appalachian output increased week on week for the first time in four weeks.

NAPP production was estimated at 1.3 million st, up 2.7% from the week before. NAPP output declined 45% year on year.

Through the year so far, NAPP output is nearly 85.8 million st. Annualized, it would be over 103 million st, down 17.1% year on year.

CAPP output was about 1 million st, down 4.6% from the previous week and down 47.8% from the year-ago week.

Over 20 weeks, CAPP output was estimated at 26.4 million st, and annualized it would be 68.7 million st, down 20.3% compared with 2019.

In the IB, output declined 2% from the week before and fell 46.1% from the year-ago week to over 1.1 million st.

IB production through the year so far was 31.5 million st. On an annualized basis it would approximately 82 million st, down 17.7% year on year.

Production from Wyoming and Montana, largely made up of Powder River Basin coal, totaled an estimated 3.6 million st, down 1.5% week on week and 42.9% lower from the year-ago week.

Output from the two states over 20 weeks was 90 million st. Annualized, it would be 234 million st, down 24.6% from the previous year.
Source: Platts