BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 7. In the third quarter of 2023, the US burned through a whopping 131.9 million short tons (MMst) of coal, Trend reports.
According to the US Energy Information Administration Agency (EIA), that is a significant 44.2-percent jump from the 91.5 MMst in the preceding quarter, but still a 9.6-percent dip from the 145.9 MMst consumed in the same quarter of 2022.
Interestingly, the electric power sector gobbled up about 93 percent of this total coal consumption during the third quarter of 2023.
At the same time, as per the EIA's data, in the reporting period of 2023, the US mined a total of 145.6 MMst of coal, marking a 2.3-percent uptick from the quarter before, but a 5.7-percent decrease compared to the same period in 2022.
Out west, where about 57 percent of the nation's coal is produced, output reached around 83 MMst, reflecting a 7.3-percent drop from the third quarter of 2022.
