Western Railroad Discussion > Powder River basin coal loadings hit new low

S&P Platt's reports that coal loadings in the Powder River basin have hit the lowest quarterly results since they began tracking output in 2003.

Results by mine / operator:  https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/coal/020320-prb-q4-2019-output-totaled-723-million-st-reaches-new-low-msha

Cold winter means folks are not runningAC. Don't get scared so easy.

The annual results were also the lowest since 2003, first time since then that the total loadings were less than 300 million tons.

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wpdude Wrote:
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> Cold winter means folks are not runningAC. Don't
> get scared so easy.

But they are running electric heaters and lights because it's dark longer.

According to the quarterly chart in the article, the typical 3rd quarter summer peak in annual production did not happen.

mapboy

Does this information really surprise anyone at this point?

Meanwhile the price of NG has gone below $ 2. That means that you can generate electricity burning ng cheaper than burning coal and produse FAR better emissions. Obviously any power plant that can will switch to ng asap ( most already have) and any new ones will be purpose built to use ng. The long term trend for coal is clearly lower and lower.

   IMHO-Ross Rowland 

crazy_train_999 Wrote:
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> Does this information really surprise anyone at
> this point?

If it does...it really shouldn't.

co614 Wrote:
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> Meanwhile the price of NG has gone below $ 2. That
> means that you can generate electricity burning ng
> cheaper than burning coal and produse FAR better
> emissions. Obviously any power plant that can will
> switch to ng asap ( most already have) and any new
> ones will be purpose built to use ng. The long
> term trend for coal is clearly lower and lower.
>
>    IMHO-Ross Rowland 

Also the fact if you don't burn coal you don't need all of the infrastructure that coal requires.
Just the savings on that is enough to tip the hand for many companies.

No backhaul of locomotive and car equipment with gas, either... === === = === JLH

It does seem that coal has run it's course for now. NG is clearly an economicly better fuel.
  The Rails may just have to find themselves interested in new customers and service and with loose cars and better intermodal options to keep the money stream flowing. Do you think they could capture freight from the trucks? They need to be thinking about it.

But you can't easily stockpile NG

highgreengraphics Wrote:
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> No backhaul of locomotive and car equipment with
> gas, either... === === = === JLH

Not so when it's LNG.

Ray

mmm1000 Wrote:
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> But you can't easily stockpile NG

You don't need to, planet Earth takes care of that.

There is increasing interest in how much crude, refined goods, and LNG is in floating storage on ships. Exported, but not yet landed someplace.I

It is a significant number, with US, Qatar, Iran, Turkey, etc all having a piece of the action.

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