Coal shipments from Illinois Basin to coal-fired power plants in the second quarter of 2020 fell by more than a third from a year earlier, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The data showed that IB coal producers shipped 12.5 million st of coal to utility customers during the quarter, 36.2% lower than the same period last year.
IB utility coal shipments fell from 4.4 million st in April to 3.8 million st in May but then increased again to 4.2 million st in June. The pick-up in June was in line with a 25 TWh month-on-month rise in US coal power generation. The coronavirus pandemic drove an overall decline in electricity demand and hence, in demand for IB coal.
There were 23 spot deals totalling 648,488 st in the second quarter, compared to 60 spot shipments totalling 1.6 million st in the corresponding quarter last year. For the first half of 2020, total IB coal deliveries stood at 27.8 million st, decreasing by 30.6% from a year earlier. On a quarterly basis, IB deliveries fell by 2.9 million st.
