Coal Piles at 24-Year Low at U.S. Utilities on Demand Surge

[Klaralven]

Coal stockpiles at U.S. power plants plunged to the lowest in at least 24 years as electricity generators burn the fuel faster than miners can dig it out of the ground.

Inventories fell to 84.3 million tons in August, according to government data released Tuesday. That’s the lowest in records going back to 1997, when Bill Clinton was beginning his second term as U.S. president.

As the global economy recovers from the pandemic, demand for electricity -- and the fuels used to produce it -- is surging around the world. That’s pushed natural gas prices to all-time highs in some regions and the knock-on effect has been that utilities are burning more coal as a less-costly alternative.

Overall U.S. inventories have been on a steady decline for several years as hulking, aging plants were replaced by natural gas-fired generators and renewables. But this year’s drawdown in stockpiles shows utilities are burning through reserves at the worst possible time given winter’s imminent arrival.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-26/coal-piles-drop-to-24-year-low-at-u-s-utilities-on-demand-surge

[ShazamIam]

1. Back in 2017 begging for tax cuts weren't promises made about closing coal plants and moving to

natural gas, Oh, and their was that entirely false claim about, "clean coal." And remember the coal mines and the transportation are private for profit businesses and it is not the government doing the price gouging and market manipulation.

This is what a "free market," is. An unregulated or too little regulated seller controlled market.

edit add: In other words, a "free market," is an abuse the consumer, the environment and abuse labor, kind of market.

edit national to natural

[TheRealNorth]

2. Republicans control the energy industry...

Of course they are going to fuck with the supply. If it worked in CA against Gray Davis, of course they are going to try it against Biden.

[ShazamIam]

3. Yes, sad and anyone who only watches and consumes the MSM are only going to hear, "Biden's economy,"