US coal supplies fall 2.3 pct for week - Genscape

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31 Dec 2008

Coal supplies at U.S. power plants fell 2.3 percent this week from last week but are 7.4 percent greater than the same week of 2007, Genscape said Tuesday. Electric companies had 158.6 million short tons of coal stockpiled, compared with 162.3 million tons reported last Tuesday and 147.7 million tons the same week of last year. U.S. generators had an average of 57 days' worth of typical coal burn on hand, one less than last week, but four more days' supply than the same week last year, Genscape said.
Eastern coal mine output dropped because of the Christmas holiday, and Western coal shipments were disrupted by heavy snowfall, Genscape said.
But slackening power demand in a stalled economy and a slowdown in U.S. exports have made more coal available to domestic utilities, improving the supply outlook, Genscape said.
Coal stockpiles usually grow in the spring and fall, when mild weather eases cooling or heating demand.
Stockpiles shrink as winter or summer sets in across the country, boosting demand for electricity for heating or cooling.
Earlier this year, U.S. coal exports had cut Atlantic Coast utilities' ability to build stockpiles during the fall, but the economic slump is cutting world demand for U.S. coal.
Mathematical rounding sometimes affects the results, overstating some changes and understating others, Genscape has said.

Source: Reuters