Historical overview of US coal exports, 1973-1982

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5632945

The majority of US exported coal is bituminous. Two commodity classes, metallurgical and steam, correspond roughly to two major end-use markets. In the seventies, world coal trade consisted primarily of seaborne shipments of metallurgical coal which were affected by the cyclical developments in the steel industry. Between 1973 and 1979, metallurgical coal exports rose from 42.6 million short tons to 50.7 million tons. Sparked by the widening price differential between coal and residual fuel oil, electric utilities and industry began to convert oil-fired facilities to steam coal by 1980. Because of US capability to respond to short run surges in coal demand, steam coal exports rose sharply. The analysis of world coal demand here is centered on the major markets for US coal, Japan, the European Community, and Canada. This analysis discusses the economic and political motives that influence coal import decisions in these markets. Environmental concerns in these import regions are assessed in terms of their impact on government energy policy. (PSB)

• Research Organization: USDOE Energy Information Administration, Washington, DC. Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels
• OSTI ID: 5632945
• Report Number(s): DOE/EIA-0413; ON: DE84002151
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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