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Annual Coal Report
Release Date: November 3, 2016 | Next Release Date: October 26, 2017 | full report
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The Annual Coal Report (ACR) provides annual data on U.S. coal production, number of mines, productive capacity, recoverable reserves, employment, productivity, consumption, stocks, and prices. All data for 2015 and prior years are final.
Highlights for 2015:
- In 2015, U.S. coal production dropped 10.3% year-over-year to below 900 million short tons, the lowest annual production level since 1986.
- Production in the Western Region, representing 56.6% of total U.S. coal production in 2015, totaled 507.4 million short tons (MMst), 6.5% lower than 2014.
- In 2015, the productivity capacity of U.S. coal mines decreased for the fourth year in a row to 1,165 MMst, a decline of 6.3% from the 2014 levels.
- The average number of employees at U.S. coal mines decreased 12.0% to 65,971 employees, the lowest on record since EIA began collecting data in 1978.
- U.S. coal consumption of 798 MMst in 2015 was 13.1% lower from the 2014 levels. The electric power sector consumed about 92.5% of the total U.S. coal consumption in 2014.
- Average sales price of coal from U.S. mines was $31.83 per short ton in 2015, 8.6% lower than the prior year.
- Total U.S. coal stocks ended at 238.8 MMst, 20.6% higher than at the same time in 2014. Electric power coal stocks increased from 151.8 MMst at the end of 2014 to 195.9 MMst at the end of 2015, the highest year-ending stocks on record.
Contact:
JenAlyse Arena
Phone: 202-586-4866
Email: JenAlyse Arena
Fax: 202-287-1944