Summary
The U.S. coal industry rebounded in 2010, with coal exports showing impressive gains and domestic production up over the previous year. Metallurgical coal export prices hit record levels as weather problems continued to plague Australian producers, and steel-hungry China and India continued to import relatively large amounts of metallurgical coal. U.S. domestic coal price increases moderated for the electric power sector and declined for industrial plants and for commercial and institutional users. Positive trends established in 2010 are expected to carry over to 2011. Domestic coal consumption as well as metallurgical coal exports are expected to increase as U.S. and most other industrial economies continue to grow. Coal prices should continue to increase at a moderate pace. As consumption increases, coal stocks are expected to decline to more traditional levels. (See Energy Information Administration's Short-Term Energy Outlook for short-term coal projections.)