US coal supplies rise 1.4 pct for week - Genscape

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

29 Apr 2009

Coal stocks at U.S. power plants rose 1.4 percent this week from last week and are 17.1 percent greater than the same week of 2008, Genscape said Tuesday. Electric companies had 168.4 million short tons of coal stockpiled, compared with 166.2 million tons reported last Tuesday and 143.9 million tons the same week last year.
Nationally, U.S. generators as of Tuesday had an average of 61 days' supply of typical coal burn on hand, one more than last week, Genscape said.
As of Tuesday, power plants had nine more days' supply than the same week last year. That's the same margin over 2008 supply that was recorded last week, Genscape said.
"Producers are keeping the shipping rate below the same period last year but still cannot keep up with the collapse of power demand," Genscape said.
Competition from natural gas-fired generation is intensifying in many regions of the nation, so that even where power demand rises coal demand falls, Genscape said.
Still, overall power demand has dropped sharply due to the economic recession.
Coal stockpiles usually grow in the spring and fall, when mild weather eases cooling or heating demand. Stockpiles shrink as summer or winter sets in across the country, boosting demand for electricity for cooling or heating.
Mathematical rounding sometimes affects the results, overstating some changes and understating others, Genscape has said.

Source: Reuters