US coal production hits weekly high

US weekly coal production hit a peak of 16.1 million short t during the week ending 31 July, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), its highest level this year.

The total is 7.7% higher that the previous week and just 11% lower than the same week in 2015 compared to a year-to-date decline of 25.8%.

Of the major coal-producing states, Texas recorded the biggest rise, up almost 11% on the previous week to 0.76 million short t. Texas is also the only state to record a year-to-date increase in production. The Lone Star state has production 18.65 million short t so far this year, 3.2% up on the same period in 2015.

West Virginian production was also up over 10% on the week before at 1.64 million short t. Production in the north of the state was up 12.6% at 0.92 million short t, while production in southern West Virginia was up 7.4%.

The largest coal-production state in the US, Wyoming, saw its production jump 8.1% week-on-week to 6.87 million short t – it’s highest weekly total this year. Elsewhere, Illinois production was up 7.7%, Montana was up 7.1%, Kentucky was up 5.5% and Pennsylvania was up 5.2%.

Total US production year-to-date stood at 389.9 million short t compared to 525.2 million short t over the same period in 2015.

Edited by Jonathan Rowland.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/08082016/us-coal-production-hits-weekly-high-2016-2179/