BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported a 19-percent decline in US coal production from March to April, Trend reports.
This decrease comes as miners scaled back operations due to burgeoning inventories and the onset of the shoulder season in the coal industry, the agency explained.
Looking ahead, the EIA anticipates a rebound in production in the coming months, with a peak expected at 49 million short tons (MMst) in August, followed by a gradual decline towards the year's end.
A revised outlook for coal exports, surpassing previous forecasts outlined in last month's forecast, has contributed to a 3-percent uptick in the EIA's projections for coal production in 2024.
The agency now predicts US coal production to reach approximately 500 MMst in 2024, with a marginal decline of around 1% to roughly 490 MMst expected the following year.
Meanwhile, US metallurgical coal exports are forecasted to reach nearly 8 MMst in both April and May. This marks a 13-percent increase from the previous estimate for April. As a consequence, the EIA has revised its total coal export estimates for April and May 2024, now projecting 13 MMst, a 9-percent increase from earlier forecasts.
