U.S. Coal Exports Skyrocket

United States exporters of thermal coal earned more than $5 billion in 2023 as they shipped out more than 32.5 million metric tons of the high-polluting power fuel, data from ship-tracking firm Kpler shows.

The thermal coal export earnings were the second-highest since 2017, following 2022's $5.7 billion. The total volumes were the highest since 2018 and came as U.S. power producers cut the amount of coal used in electricity generation to the lowest this century, data from energy think tank Ember shows.

Over that time span, coal's share of the U.S. electricity generation mix declined from 39% to 19% as natural gas and renewable power gained share on U.S. electricity grids.

Pollution reduction efforts were a major impetus behind the reductions in coal use, and annual emissions of carbon dioxide from U.S. coal-fired power generation dropped by 57%, or 865 million metric tons, during the 2013 to 2023 window.

In 2023, a record 17% of total U.S. coal production was exported, compared to around 12.5% in 2017, EIA data shows.

That share may continue to expand over the near term if domestic demand falls more quickly than domestic mining output.

But if U.S. authorities restrict coal output further amid intensifying social pressure against the fuel's extraction and sale, then U.S. export volumes will likely gradually dry up.

Ironically for climate trackers, any drop in U.S. shipments is unlikely to result in less overall coal consumption.

Rather, current buyers of U.S. coal will likely be forced to switch to other sellers such as Indonesia and Russia, who generally can only supply lower grades of coal than the United States.

Those alternative coal sources may emit even greater v