March 1, 2019 - Weekly US coal production totaled over 14.9 million st in the week ended February 23, up 8.4% from the prior week, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday.

Production rose for the first time in five weeks, increasing 0.3% from the year-ago week.

Production in the eighth week of the year was down 6.9% from the five-year average of over 16 million st. In addition, year to week ended February 23 production was down 2.8% from the same period last year.

Production in Wyoming and Montana, largely made up of Powder River Basin coal, totaled almost 6.6 million st, up 7.8% from the prior week and down 3.2% from the year-ago week. This was the only basin to see a fall in production from the year-ago week.

Annualized output from the two states is 319 million st, down 6.1% from 2018 productions, and the steepest drop in annualized production from all the basins.

The Illinois Basin had production of almost 2.2 million st, up 9% from the week before and up 1.8% from the corresponding 2018 week.

Annualized production from the basin totaled over 104 million st, down 0.6% from 2018.

Northern Appalachian output was nearly 2.1 million st in the eighth week, up 7% week on week and up 3.6% year on year. NAPP annualized production is nearly 102 million st, down 1.1% from last year.

Production from the Central Appalachian basin was nearly 2.1 million st, up 12.3% from the prior week and up 7.9% from the year-ago week.

Annualized production in total would be over 722 million st, down 3.8% from 2018.