Impact of the 1977-78 coal miners' strike on Illinois electric utilities
Electric utilities in Illinois and Ohio were affected by the coal miners' strike of 1977-1978. However, the situation in Illinois was not as grave as in Ohio. While utilities in both states were able to increase coal stocks prior to the strike, this action was not sufficient to see the utilities through the strike. Illinois utilities increased substantially the amount of coal purchased from western mines in order to maintain their fuel stocks and continue service. Ohio utilities, on the other hand, found it necessary to import large quantities of electricity from other regions in order to continue service. In Ohio it was also necessary to curtail service both voluntarily and involuntarily in order to maintain coal stocks at a desirable level. Three factors appeared to influence the actions of the utilities in the two states. First is the amount of generating capacity relying on coal. Illinois' utilities are, as an aggregate, fairly diversified by type of fuel used for generation. Ohio utilities, on the other hand, are highly dependent on coal. Second is the diversity of the sources of coal. While utilities in both states utilize coal primarily from the region in which they are located, Illinois utilities exhibited a greater tendency to purchase coal from outside their region both prior to and during the strike. Finally, it appeared that the expectations of the utilities concerning the magnitude of the strike influenced the utilities' decisions to alter coal consumption and purchasing practices. These conclusions are supported by the analysis of the strike's impact on the four major utilities in Illinois.
- OSTI ID:
- 5863742
- Report Number(s):
- NP-24113
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL INDUSTRY
COAL MINING
CONSUMPTION RATES
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
ENERGY SHORTAGES
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GREAT LAKES REGION
ILLINOIS
INDUSTRY
INVENTORIES
LABOR RELATIONS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
OHIO
PUBLIC UTILITIES
SUPPLY DISRUPTION
USA