EIA Sees US Coal Production Declining in 2015

MINING.com reported that the Energy Information Administration’s recent 2015 Short Term Energy Outlook shows that the US coal industry will witness lower production in the next year.

As quoted in the market news:

The EIA sees U.S. coal production declining by an additional 20 million tons this year to about 900 million tons. Prices will remain flat, in part—by the EIA’s outlook—because natural-gas prices will remain below $3.50 mmbtu through 2016.

These projections corroborate those of most independent analysts, many of whom also point to a now-constant industry struggle to keep costs down as the maturation of coal-producing regions pushes them back up (many of the easy pickings are gone, especially in Appalachia). Coal-plant retirements continue, solar and wind remain lucrative alternatives, and coal’s regulatory horizons remain cloudy.

Click here for the full MINING.com report