Coal

Analysis & Projections

Coal production through 3rd quarter of 2011 ›

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Quarterly Coal Report, January 11, 2012.
Coal plants without scrubbers account for a majority of U.S. SO₂ emissions ›

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Today in Energy, December 21, 2011.
Rising Asian demand drives global coal consumption growth - watch animation›

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Today in Energy, December 20, 2011.
Watch animation of international coal production ›

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Today in Energy, December 7, 2011.
Coal stocks outlook from the Short-Term Energy
Outlook ›

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook.

Energy In Brief Articles

What is the role of coal in the United States?

Due to its relatively low cost and abundance, coal is used to generate about half of the electricity consumed in the United States. Coal is the largest domestically-produced source of energy. Coal use, however, results in higher amounts of carbon dioxide per unit of energy than the use of oil or natural gas.

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Coal Explained

Where our coal comes from

In 2010, the amount of coal produced at U.S. coal mines was 1,085.3 million short tons. Coal is mined in 26 States. Wyoming mines the most coal, followed by West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Montana.

Use of electricity

Most of the electricity in the United States is produced using steam turbines. Coal is the most common fuel for generating electricity in the United States. In 2010, 45% of the Country's nearly 4 trillion kilowatthours of electricity used coal as its source of energy.

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Quarterly Coal Report

Released January 11, 2012

Provides detailed quarterly coal data for July-September 2011 and aggregated quarterly historical coal data for 2005 through 3rd Quarter 2011. This report now includes data on co-firing fuels and carbon capture equipment from the Form EIA-3 survey and the heat content of coal from the Form EIA-5 survey.

Weekly Coal Production Report

This weekly report provides estimates for U.S. coal production by State based on railroad car loading data: the weekly version of the report contains data for the latest week; and the monthly version of the report contains data for the latest month.

Annual Coal Report

Released November 30, 2011

Provides final 2010 data for U.S. coal production, number of mines, prices, productivity, employment, productive capacity, and recoverable reserves. Final U.S. coal production for 2010 was 1,084.4 million short tons, about the same as the 2009 total of 1,074.9 million short tons.

Monthly Energy Review, Coal

Released January 27, 2012

This report includes monthly statistics for coal production, consumption by sector, imports, exports, stocks by sector, and waste coal supplied.

Annual Energy Outlook 2011

Released April 26, 2011

U.S. coal production varies across the Annual Energy Outlook cases, reflecting different assumptions about the costs of producing and transporting coal, the outlook for economic growth, and the outlook for world oil prices.