By Olivia Kalb

November 15, 2020 - Illinois Basin coal production totaled nearly 16.8 million st in the third quarter, up 19.6% from the previous quarter, Mine Safety and Health Administration data showed Nov. 13.

From the year-ago quarter, output was down 31%, the data showed.

Alliance Resource Partner's Riverview mine was the top producer in Q3 with 2.7 million st. From Q2, output jumped 103%, while year on year it declined 2.4%.

Prairie State's Lively Grove mine and Foresight Energy's MC#1 mine followed, both with output of over 1.5 million st. While Lively Grove production declined 12.9% quarter on quarter and dropped 1.4% from the year-ago quarter, MC#1 output rose 16.7% from Q2 and fell 52% from the year-ago period.

Since the start of the year, the following mines have stopped and not restarted production: Paringa Resource's Poplar Grove mine, Solar Sources Shamrock mine, Hallador Energy's Carlisle mine, Murray Energy's Genesis mine and Foresight's Shay No. 1 mine.

Of those mines, only Shamrock mine remains active, while the Genesis and Shay No. 1 mines status are nonproducing-active.

On a company basis, Alliance output was over 5.2 million st in the third quarter, up 136% from Q2 and down 27.1% from the year-ago quarter.

Foresight Q3 output totaled over 3.3 million st, up 8% quarter on quarter and down 32.6% from the year-ago quarter.

Peabody Energy production was about 2.7 million st, up 6% from the previous quarter and down 37.7% from the year-ago quarter.

Third-quarter Hallador production declined 15.7% from Q2 to 1.2 million st. Year on year, it dropped 35.2%.