Houston — Weekly US coal production totaled an estimated 13.29 million st in the week that ended September 7, down 10.5% compared with a week earlier and 5.7% lower than the year-ago week, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday.

It was the fifth time in the last 14 weeks and 16th time this year that production in all four major basins fell week on week.

The total for Week 36 was 19.1% lower than the five-year average for the week and was the lowest total for the corresponding week in the last 10 years.

Utility stockpiles remain relatively low on an aggregate basis, totaling an estimated 101.22 million st as of September 5, down roughly 2.2% year on year, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics.

In the most recent reporting week, estimated coal production in Wyoming and Montana, which is primarily made up of production from the Powder River Basin, totaled 5.97 million st, down 9.4% compared with the previous week and 9.3% from the year-ago week.

Since January 1, the states have produced 209.8 million st, down 9.3% from the same period in 2018. Annualized production in the two states would total 305.23 million st, down 10.7% year on year.

In Central Appalachia, estimated weekly coal production was at a nine-week low of 1.61 million st after falling 11.3% week on week. That total was also 4.5% below the year-ago figure.

Year-to-date production in Central Appalachia is down 5.6% year on year at 62.48 million st, while on an annualized basis, such CAPP production would total 90.8 million st, down 2.8% year on year.

Weekly coal production in Northern Appalachia totaled 1.88 million st, down 8.4% from the prior week but up 2.9% from the year-ago week.

Year-to-date production is 3.1% higher than a year ago at 73.61 million st, while annualized NAPP production would total 106.95 million st, up 3.2% from last year.

In the Illinois Basin, estimated weekly coal production was also at a nine-week low of 1.93 million st, down 11.5% compared with the previous week, but up 1.2% from the year-ago week. Cumulative production is up to at 73.7 million st so far in 2019, up 0.9% year on year, while annualized production at this rate in the basin would total 107.14 million st, up 0.5% compared with 2018.

Through the first 36 weeks of the year, US coal production totaled an estimated 493.09 million st, down 4.3% year on year, while production on an annualized basis is expected to be around 716.94 million st, which would be down 4.8% compared with 2018.

-- Tyler Godwin, tyler.godwin@spglobal.com

-- Edited by Keiron Greenhalgh, newsdesk@spglobal.com