November coal deliveries to US power plants fall to four-month low: EIA

Houston — Coal deliveries to US power plants dipped to a four-month low 36.9 million st in November, down 0.1% from the previous month and 16.9% lower than the year-ago month, data from the Energy Information Administration data showed Jan. 28.

Shipments in November were the lowest in over 13 years for the corresponding month and were also down 30% from the five-year average.

Through the first 11 months of 2020, coal deliveries were at 395.7 million st, down 22.5% from 510.58 million st in the same period a year earlier.

Subbituminous coal deliveries were at a five-month low 20.15 million st in November, down from 20.16 million st in October and 25.38 million st in the year-ago month.

Bituminous coal deliveries to US power plants also declined to 12.87 million st in November, down from 13.06 million st in the previous month and 14.7 million st a year earlier.

Subbituminous coal deliveries through November were at 220.22 million st, while bituminous deliveries were at 131.77 million st, compared with 281.14 million st and 182.75 million st, respectively, in the first 11 months of 2019.

Average delivery costs for bituminous coal to regulated plants rose to $53.91/st in November, up from $53.68/st in October, but down from $54.05/st in the year-ago month, according to the data. Subbituminous delivery costs to regulated plants declined to $30.30/st in November, from $30.64/st in October and $31.30/st in November 2019.

The remaining deliveries in November were 3.58 million st of lignite and 294,161 st of waste coal, compared with 3.29 million st and 406,644 st, respectively, in October, and 3.99 million st and 353,692 st in the year-ago month.

Imports to US power plants rose to 200,937 st in November, down from 276,497 st in October and 343,318 st in November 2019.

Spot purchase deliveries rise to nine-month high

Contract deliveries, or purchases with a term of one year or longer, declined to 33.29 million st in November, down from 34.02 million st in October and 37.63 million st in November 2019.

Spot coal shipments, or contract deliveries less than one year, rose to a nine-month high 3.58 million st, up from 2.82 million st in October, but down from 6.5 million st in the year-ago month. It was the highest in a month since 3.77 million st in February 2020.

Spot deliveries from coal mines in Wyoming rose to 1.3 million st in November, from 1.18 million st in October, while spot shipments from West Virginia and Illinois climbed to 466,746 st and 243,256 st, respectively, up from 286,406 st and 88,386 st in October. Spot deliveries from Pennsylvania and Kentucky mines also rose to 141,372 st and 103,203 st in November, respectively, from 106,419 st and 57,472 st in the previous month.

Rail deliveries were at 25.4 million st in November, down from 25.58 million st in October and 31.27 million st in the year-ago month, while barge deliveries dipped to 5 million st, from 5.01 million st in October and 5.13 million st a year ago.

Deliveries by truck fell to a six-month low 2.97 million st, down from 3.13 million st in October and 3.73 million st in November 2019, while 3.47 million st was moved by conveyor, compared with 3.13 million st in October and 4.15 million st in the year-ago month.