Houston — Weekly US coal production totaled an estimated 14.1 million st in the week ended September 8, down 9.4% from the prior week and down 5.4% from the year-ago week, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday.
The biggest drop in production in the most recently concluded week came from Wyoming and Montana, which is mostly made up of production from the Powder River Basin.
Coal production in Wyoming and Montana totaled slightly more than 6.5 million st, down 9.7% from last week's production of over 7.2 million st and down 11.1% from the year-ago week.
On an annualized basis, production in the two states would total less than 343 million st, down 2.6% from last year.
In Central Appalachia, weekly coal production totaled an estimated 1.8 million st, and had the largest percentage drop in production. The basin was down 10% from last week, but still up 9.8% from production in the year-ago week.
Annualized production would total more than 97 million st, up 6.1% in 2017.
Weekly coal production in Northern Appalachia totaled more than 1.8 million st, down 8.5% from last week and down 1.8% from the year-ago week's production.
Annualized production would total 100 million st, down 4.8% from last year.
In the Illinois Basin, weekly coal production totaled more than 1.5 million st, down 8.8% from last week and down 0.7% from the corresponding week in 2017.
Annualized production in the basin would total more than 103 million st, just under 2017 production levels.
Through the first 36 weeks of the year, US coal production totals over 520 million st, and would total less than 754 million st on an annualized basis, down 2.6% from last year's production of over 774 million st. -- Olivia Kalb, olivia.kalb@spglobal.com