According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), domestic coal production decreased by 2.6% in 2018. Meanwhile, coal prices rose in three of the five major coal-producing regions, in particular the Northern and Central Appalachian basins. Production increased in two of the five major coal-producing basins (Central Appalachian and Illinois), whereas it declined in the Rocky Mountain region as well as in the Powder River and Northern Appalachian.
Coal consumption is estimated to have declined by 4% in 2018, reaching its lowest level since 1979. Most of the domestic coal consumption (90%) was in the power sector, even though nearly 15 GW of coal-fired generation capacity were shut down in 2018. The share of coal in the total power generation declined for the third year in a row, reaching a new low of 28%, lower than the share of natural (35%).
Coal exports increased for the second consecutive year and accounted for 15% of the total domestic production, mainly driven by European and Asian countries. The largest importers of US coal were India, Japan, and South Korea for Asia, and the Netherlands for Europe. However, the export hike was not large enough to offset the decline in the domestic coal consumption.
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