Industry Analysis & Industry Trends
The prices of metallurgical and thermal coal have decreased over the past five years, causing declines in industry revenue. Competition from natural gas has also been eating into coal demand. Fortunately, growing electricity consumption will benefit the industry, as more than half of the coal produced in the United States is used to produce electricity. Demand for metallurgical coal from emerging economies will also remain high, boosting revenue from exports... purchase to read more
Industry Report - Industry Products Chapter
There are two main types of coal: thermal coal, also called steaming coal, and metallurgical coal, also known as coking coal. Both types of coal can come from two different types of mines: underground and surface. Underground mines are used when the coal is deep in the sediment and surface mines are used when the coal is near the surface. The share of mines has remained stable over the past five years. Additionally, the quality of the coal varies with the mine and the location of the reserves. For example, coal from Wyoming has lower energy content but also has relatively low sulfur content. Reserves of thermal coal in the United States are much larger than those of metallurgical coal, a factor behind the industry's orientation toward thermal coal production... purchase to read more