IIlinois Basin Q2 coal production totals 14 million st, down 45.3% on year: MSHA

Houston — Illinois Basin coal production totaled 14 million st in the second quarter, down 27.2% from the previous quarter, Mine Safety and Health Administration information said Aug. 3.

From the year-ago quarter, output dropped 45.3%. It was the lowest quarterly output since S&P Global Platts began tracking in 2010.

The steep decline in production was driven by both the coronavirus pandemic, which led to mine idlings and closures in addition to employees being laid off or furloughed in the region, and a continued drop in demand for the coal in the domestic and export market.

The Illinois-based Lively Grove mine, operated by Prairie State Energy, was the top producer in Q2 with more than 1.7 million st. From the previous quarter, output fell 2.2%, while year on year, it rose 7.5%.

Alliance Resource Partners' River View mine, based in Kentucky, followed with over 1.3 million st, down 52.8% from the previous quarter and down 51.3% from the year-ago quarter.

Foresight Energy's MC#1 mine in Illinois produced just under 1.3 million st in Q2, down 43.9% from Q1 and down 61% from the year-ago period.

During the quarter, Foresight's output totaled 3.1 million st, down 18.8% from Q1 and down 42.8% year on year.

Peabody Energy IB production totaled over 2.5 million st, down 22.9% from the previous quarter and down 43.7% from the year-ago period.

Alliance production totaled 2.2 million st, down 58.9% from the quarter before and down 70.2% from the year-ago quarter.

On a state-by-state basis, Illinois leads the way with 7.1 million st. Output in the state fell 19.1% from Q1 and declined 39.5% from the year-ago quarter.

Output out of Indiana totaled 4.4 million st, down 24.5% from the prior quarter and down 46.5% from the year-ago quarter.

Peabody's Bear Run mine led Indiana production with 1.2 million st. Bear Run output declined 24.5% from Q1 and dropped 31.5% from the year-ago quarter.

Kentucky production was about 2.6 million st, down 45.5% from the previous quarter and down 55.5% from the year-ago quarter.