(LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia shipments of thermal coal declined from August to September by -10.9. Thermal deliveries from the NAPP region of the state decreased by -11% and shipments of domestic thermal coal from the state’s CAPP region declined by -9.9% month over month. Compared to the same nine months of 2020, total year to date shipments of West Virginia thermal coal are up +18.8%. +25.4% from the state’s NAPP region, while domestic thermal shipments from the CAPP region of the state are off -6.8% from the same time last year.
Total shipments of thermal coal to U.S. power plants decreased from August to September by -5.8%. Sub bituminous and lignite coal shipments declined month over month by -3.6% and bituminous thermal coal deliveries decreased by -10.6% from the previous month. Year to date, compared to the same nine months of 2020, total U.S. deliveries of thermal coal to domestic power plants are +5.1% higher than last year. Sub bituminous and lignite coal shipments are +4.9% higher and bituminous shipments are +6.3% higher than the same time last year.
Electric generation at West Virginia’s coal fired power plants decreased from August by -34.7%. Year to date, generation from West Virginia coal fired power plants is +26.1% higher than the same nine months of 2020.
Total U.S. coal fired electric generation declined month over month by -26.6%. Year to date, U.S. coal generation is +27.6% higher than the same nine months of 2020.
***data on coal stockpiles levels at West Virginia coal fired power plants has been withheld from publication by the Energy Information Administration since April***
Subbituminous coal stockpiles at U.S. electric generating plants decreased from August by -4.8%. Stockpiles of bituminous coal declined by -4.4% month over month. Stockpiles of both sub bituminous and bituminous coal are at the lowest monthly levels since 1971. Compared to the same eight months of 2020, average subbituminous stockpiles are -25.6% lower than the same nine month period of 2020. Average bituminous coal stockpiles are -29.9% lower than last year.
Quantified as “days of burn”, stockpiles of sub bituminous coal were unchanged from August (82 days). Bituminous coal stockpiles increased +2.3% (+2 days) from the previous month. Year to date, average sub bituminous days of burn are down -8.2% and average bituminous levels are -18.8% lower than last year.