According to the EIA, US coal exports went up by 31% in 2011, reaching 107 Mt, due largely to rising exports to Europe and Asia. The European and Asian markets accounted for 76% of total coal exports, with the Netherlands (11 Mt) and the United Kingdom (7 Mt) ranking in the top 10 destinations for both U.S. metallurgical coal exports and steam coal exports. In Asia, South Korea was the main market (10 Mt), followed by Japan (7 Mt), China (6 Mt) and India (5 Mt).
Several major factors contributed to the rise of US coal exports in 2011, notably the steady growth in coal consumption outside the USA (4.6% drop in domestic coal consumption in 2011) along with a slight increase in US coal production (0.9%), freeing up more coal to export. The USA also appeared as a key alternative coal supplier, as many coal supply disruptions in Australia, Indonesia, and Colombia occurred in 2011. In Europe, rising spot natural gas prices (+ 35% in 2011), prompted European electricity generators to use more coal.
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