Coal Prices

Coal Prices

There are as many coal price averages as there are coal qualities (i.e., sulfur, Btu), market types (i.e., steam coal, metallurgical or coking, industrial, export), sales conditions (i.e., spot market, extended spot market, short-term contract, long-term contract), sales locations and included costs (i.e., FOB--Free on Board the mine, railcar, river terminal, export terminal, FAS--Free Along Side, CIF--Cargo Cost/Insurance Freight, total delivered cost).  Within each of these ways to sell coal, there are wide price ranges.

           Eastern Kentucky             

          Western Kentucky           

Kentucky

Year

Underground

Surface

Surface

Average

1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004

$ 26.37
25.98
28.86
30.18
30.98
32.47
32.71
30.71
29.29
29.83
26.89
27.48
27.72
25.69
25.49
26.29
25.32
25.42
26.19
26.52
25.98
26.26
25.36
24.59
25.32
28.11
29.77
29.83
35.56

$ 20.36
18.71
22.58
24.85
26.23
28.86
28.85
28.43
27.84
27.41
25.67
25.74
25.92
25.96
26.44
26.51
24.49
25.63
23.92
25.24
23.53
22.45
23.57
23.51
23.59
27.76
28.11
29.03
34.60

$ 23.03
21.67
25.30
27.62
28.73
30.72
30.87
29.63
28.61
28.77
26.38
26.71
26.97
25.80
25.84
26.37
25.00
25.50
25.25
26.00
24.98
24.65
24.59
24.14
24.58
27.96
29.04
29.49
35.15

$ 15.12
19.88
22.78
26.26
27.40
30.92
32.50
30.72
28.68
26.79
24.25
25.06
24.89
23.03
24.42
24.83
24.75
23.84
25.95
21.33
21.04
20.67
21.23
21.71
21.42
21.72
22.37
22.23
23.77

$ 13.41
14.80
18.35
18.79
22.28
25.03
26.53
25.97
25.50
26.68
26.56
24.16
22.32
21.79
22.01
20.26
20.94
20.45
20.07
19.46
18.79
19.92
20.24
19.25
17.91
21.10
21.81
21.44
22.87

$ 14.18
17.07
20.36
22.17
24.72
27.66
29.25
28.09
26.81
26.73
25.31
24.68
23.96
22.48
23.32
22.88
23.10
22.36
23.63
20.75
20.38
20.49
21.01
21.15
20.69
21.58
22.23
22.05
23.60

$ 19.79
   20.02
   23.86
   26.04
   27.62
   29.95
   30.44
   29.20
   28.13
   28.24
   26.09
   26.15
   26.20
   24.97
   25.19
   25.45
   24.50
   24.77
   24.88
   24.79
   23.91
   23.72
   23.82
   23.50
   23.80
   26.77
   27.77
   28.15
   32.74

The U.S. electric power plant sector reported a record level of 1,016.3 billion tons of coal during 2004.  The average delivered price of coal to electric utilities was $27.30 per ton.

Almost 92% of all coal consumed in the U.S. was in the electric power sector, the driving force for all coal consumption.  Coal consumption in the U.S. electric power sector increased by 11.2 million tons over 2003.  Ninety-one percent of Kentucky's electric power generation came from coal in 2005, while 3.6% came from petroleum coke, 3.1% from hydro, 1.8% from natural gas, 0.4% from renewables and 0.1% from petroleum.

Sources:  U.S. Bureau of Mines, Minerals Yearbook, 1976, U.S. DOE, Bituminous Coal and Lignite Production and Mine Operations, 1977-1978, and Coal Production, 1979-1992, DOE-EIA, Coal Data; A Reference, May, 1989, and Coal Industry Annual, 1993-2004.

www.eia.dow.gov