Coal deliveries to US power plants in October totaled 40.7 million st, up 6.5% on the year, according to US Energy Information Administration data.
Coal deliveries fell 1% from September, the EIA reported Dec. 27.
Deliveries from January through October totaled 389.5 million st, up 3% from 378.1 million st in the same period of 2021.
Railroads delivered 28.7 million st of coal to utilities in October, which represented 70.5% of all US utility coal deliveries. Compared with September, railroad coal deliveries fell by 1%. Barges were the next most-common mode of coal transport to power plants with 47.1 million st delivered in October, up from 46.5 million st in September.
Contract deliveries, or purchases with a term of longer than one year, were 36.1 million st in October, down from 36.7 million st in September. Spot purchases, or contract deliveries of less than one year, totaled 4.5 million st, up from 4.2 million st in September.
Bituminous coal shipments in October were 12.4 million st, down from 12.8 million st the month before. Over 10 months, bituminous coal shipments were 124.5 million st.
One of the most liquid US bituminous coals, Central Appalachia 12,500 /lb rail coal averaged $/st in October, according to the Platts assessment by S&P Global Commodity Insights. In the year-ago period, the coal averaged $/st.
October subbituminous coal shipments were 24.3 million st, down from 24.5 million st in September. Through the 10-month period, 225.9 million st of subbituminous coal was shipped to US power plants.
Subbituminous Powder River Basin 8,800 /lb coal averaged $/st in October, compared with $/st in the year-ago month, according to the Platts assessment.
Average delivery costs for subbituminous coal to regulated plants in October was $/st, down from $/st in September, EIA data showed. Average bituminous coal delivery costs to regulated plants were $/st in October, down from $/st in September.
