US production of all types of coal in decline

In 2023, the US produced 578 million short t of coal, or less than half of the amount produced in 2008 when US coal production peaked, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s most recent Annual Coal Report.

The production decline is spread almost evenly across each type of coal and continued in 2024. Rising mining costs, increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and competition from other sources of electric power generation have contributed to domestic coal production declines.

The rank of coal depends on the depth at which coal deposits are buried. Deeper coal deposits have experienced more heat and pressure over time, providing those coals with higher heat capacity, higher carbon content, lower moisture, and fewer impurities. When ranked by their carbon content, the highest-ranking coal is anthracite, followed by bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite coal.

Coal mining companies produce bituminous coal primarily from the Appalachian and Illinois Basins, both of which cover large areas in the eastern US. Subbituminous coal is found in various parts of the western US, especially in the Powder River Basin in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. Mining companies produce lignite coal across several parts of the Midwest, mostly in North Dakota and Texas.

Coal producers mine and sell the four ranks of coal mined in the US primarily as thermal coal, which power plants burn to produce steam for electricity generation. Bituminous coal, particularly from the Appalachia region, also has metallurgical characteristics, making it a critical raw material used in blast furnace steelmaking. In 2023, the US exported 51 short t of bituminous coal as metallurgical coal.

Coal producers tend to sell subbituminous coal to coal-fired power plants across the US, or, less often, export the coal to countries in Asia. Subbituminous coal’s low mining costs and relatively low heating value are partially offset by the high cost of transporting coal long distances, usually by rail. Coal producers tend to sell lignite almost exclusively to power generating plants located near mines. This proximity is a key economic factor given the low heat content of lignite coal.

The EIA’s Annual Coal Report provides detail on US coal production, mining productivity, reserves, prices, and other series. More recent information on coal production from its Quarterly Coal Reports and Weekly Coal Production Reports shows that US coal production continued to decline in 2024. The EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook forecasts US coal production to decline from an estimated 512 short t in 2024 to 483 short t in 2025, and subsequently to 467 short t in 2026. This is due to coal’s continued competition with natural gas and renewables in the electric power sector.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/08042025/us-production-of-all-types-of-coal-in-decline/