News

World News: Japan is the world’s third-largest coal-importing country

Japan imported more than 210 million short tons (MMst) of coal in 2018, making it the world’s third-largest coal-importing country after only India and China. Japan continues to use steam coal to fuel one-third of its electricity generation and metallurgical coal for raw steel production. Japan imports nearly all (99%) of the coal it consumes. Australia is Japan’s primary coal supplier, supplying […]

Global weakness drags on U.S. coal exports

US coal exports fell again in April amid broad declines in seaborne markets. Shipments dropped to 8.29mn short tons (7.52mn metric tonnes) from a little over 11mn st a year earlier, according to US Census Bureau data released today. Both thermal and metallurgical volumes declined. Thermal coal shipments recorded a sixth month of year-on-year decreases, […]

Colombian cement maker Cementos Argos imports coal

The elevated cost of securing and transporting coal from Colombia’s interior region has prompted a major cement maker with coastal facilities to import coal and petroleum coke from the US. The elevated cost of producing coal in inland Colombian provinces and trucking to coastal regions has led to an 11pc increase in fuel costs for […]

Near-term North America coal outlook stable

Moody’s has kept its short-term outlook for the North American coal industry stable, primarily supported by steady metallurgical coal prices. It says thermal coal demand remains in secular decline. According to a research note, Moody’s expects flat to slightly lower EBITDA for North American coal miners through mid-2020, but any negative outlook signals, such as […]

Gordon asks AG for strategy to sue Washington over coal ports

Governor Mark Gordon asked Attorney General Bridget Hill to research how Wyoming could sue Washington over that state’s decision to deny a coal port permit over environmental concerns, the governor said last week. “We are considering whether what’s called an original act or original lawsuit is advisable,” Gordon told WyoFile in an interview Friday. Gordon […]

China imports of U.S. coking coal rise five-fold in April on trade deal bets

China’s imports of U.S. coking coal rose more than five times in April from a month earlier, customs data showed, on traders’ earlier bets that trade tensions between Beijing and Washington were easing. Shipments of coking coal from the United States rose to 308,789 tonnes last month, up from 60,585 tonnes in March, according to […]

Asian banks shun coal, strangling U.S. exports

Asia’s banking giants are turning their backs on new coal project lending, posing long-term challenges for exporters in the United States and beyond. What began as a trickle is becoming a flood as more and more financial institutions in the region announce that they will no longer provide loans or extend credit to new coal-fired […]

U.S. coal seen as gaining international foothold

US coal producers are transitioning from swing suppliers to permanent fixtures in global markets as interest in higher sulfur coal increases, Alliance Resource Partner’s chief financial officer Brian Cantrell said today at the MLP & Energy Infrastructure Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. “A few years ago we viewed the export market as cyclical, with the […]

Fight over Wash. export terminal heads to 9th Circuit

The coal company backing a beleaguered export terminal proposed for the Pacific Northwest is heading to a federal appeals court to fight Washington state’s blockage of the project. Lighthouse Resources Inc. filed a notice of appeal Friday targeting several lower court orders related to Millennium Bulk Terminals. At issue is the Washington State Department of […]

U.S. coking coal exports up in March

Coking coal exports from the US totalled 4.97mn t in March, up by 10.4pc on the year, driven by increased shipments to Asia and Poland, US Census Bureau data shows. Exports to Japan rose by 15.9pc to 699,721t, while shipments to South Korea imore than trebled to 423,765t and shipments to China more than doubled […]