From Platts:
Peabody sees jump in coal use by generators this year
US coal consumption by the electric power sector in 2013 will grow by 60 million-80 million st over last year's level, based on "strong" first-quarter demand, St. Louis-based producer Peabody Energy said Thursday.
Energy Information Administration data shows US generators consumed 824.8 million st in 2012 and the agency forecasts the sector will consume 885.2 million st this year.
"First-quarter US coal demand saw strong improvement over the prior year as generators switch back to coal and away from higher-priced natural gas in key regions," CEO Gregory Boyce said in a statement.
"We now expect that during 2013, coal will recapture the vast majority of its 2012 demand that was lost to natural gas."...MORE
