The Quarterly Coal Report (QCR) provides detailed quarterly data on U.S. coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, coal quality, and stocks. Data on U.S. coke production, consumption, stocks, imports, and exports are also provided. All data for 2011 and prior years are final. All data for 2012 are preliminary.

Highlights for fourth quarter 2012:

• U.S. coal production during fourth quarter 2012 totaled 249.6 million short tons. This was 3.6% lower than the previous quarter and 11.8% lower than the fourth quarter 2011. Production in the Western Region, which represented 54.7% of total U.S. production, dropped to 136.7 million short tons from 143.4 million short tons in third quarter 2012.

• Fourth quarter coal exports (28.0 million short tons) surpassed the five-year (2007-2011) fourth quarter range, increasing 1.2% from fourth quarter 2011. While coal exports to European markets accounted for more than half of all U.S. coal exports, China, South Korea, India, and Japan remained among the top ten destinations for U.S. coal exports during fourth quarter 2012.


• The United States continued to import coal primarily from Colombia (78.0%), Canada (11.2%), and Indonesia (6.0%). While fourth quarter imports declined slightly (under 1.0%) from third quarter 2012, imports decreased 11.3% to 2.4 million short tons from fourth quarter 2011.

• Total U.S. coal consumption decreased 11.1% from third quarter 2012 and 0.5% from fourth quarter 2011.

• Fourth quarter coal stocks rose to 239.9 million short tons from 235.3 million short tons at the end of the third quarter 2012, a 2.0 percent increase

 

• The average cost of coal delivered for electricity generation for the month of December 2012 was $2.40 per million Btu for electric utilities and $2.28 per million Btu for independent power producers.


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