EIA: U.S. coal capacity is expected to reach 680 million tonnes in 2018

The U.
S.
Energy Information Administration's EIA reported on Tuesday that U.
S.
coal capacity is expected to reach 751.
2 million short tons (about 680 million tons) in 2018, up 1.
7 percent
from last month's forecast.

EIA did not give a reason for the higher estimate, but the forecast is still 2.
7%
lower than last year's 772 million short tonnes (about 700 million tonnes).

At the same time, EIA also expects coal production to reach 752 million short tons (about 682 million tons)
in 2019.

Specifically, coal consumption in the U.
S.
power sector is expected to reach 640 million short tons (about 580 million tons) in 2018 and 633 million short tons (about 574 million tons) in 2019, down from 665 million short tons (about 603 million tons)
in 2017.

In 2018, the agency expects coal to account for 28.
7 percent of U.
S.
electricity generation, up from 28.
5 percent
in 2019.
Coal accounted for 30.
1%
of U.
S.
electricity generation in 2017.

Natural gas is expected to account for 33.
6 percent of U.
S.
electricity generation in 2018 and 34.
2 percent in 2019, up from 31.
6 percent
in 2017.

This increase is mainly due to increased natural gas production, which is expected to average 80.
5 Bcf/d in 2018 and 83.
3 Bcf/d
in 2019.
In 2017, the average production capacity was 73.
6 Bcf/d
.

Natural gas consumption in the power sector is expected to be 9.
78 Tcf in 2018, 10.
2 Tcf in 2019 and 9.
3 Tcf
in 2017.

The EIA also expects coal exports totalling 88.
1 million short tons (about 79.
9 million tons) this year, 84.
6 million short tons (about 76.
7 million tons) in 2019 and 97 million short tons (about 88 million tons)
in 2017.

Conversion: 1 short ton (st) = 0.
9071847 tons (t)