HOUSTON, March 9 - The Genscape weekly U.S. coal stockpile report showed the first year-over-year decline, of 1.7 percent, since September 2008, the power industry data provider said Tuesday.
The report recorded a week-to-week decline in coal supplies, of 0.5 percent, at the time of year when stockpiles usually start to build in the low-demand period or "shoulder season" between winter and summer, Genscape said.
"That is highly unusual," a Genscape spokesman said.
U.S. generators, which rely on coal to fuel about half of U.S. electricity production, had 56 days worth of coal on hand, the same as last week, the power industry data provider said.
Companies averaged 1 day less of coal stockpiled than the same week of 2009, and 2 days less than last week's 1-day cushion, Genscape said.
Genscape estimated power generators as of Monday had 150.1 million tons of coal, down from 150.8 million tons on March 1 and down from 152.8 million tons the same week last year.
Last week brought unusual sub-freezing temperatures across a wide swath of the Southeast, where utilities rely heavily on coal to run power plants, the WSI Corp weather service said.
The combination of unusually cold weather this winter and a recovering economy has raised coal consumption. Months of weak demand due to the economic slump has triggered steady efforts by mining companies to reduce output. All three factors have contributed to a steep stockpile drawdown recently.
Until this week, the last week that recorded a decline from the same week the year before was the 38th week of 2008, in September of that year, when the normal seasonal cycle of ups and downs began to be interrupted by a slumping economy, Genscape said.
Inventories typically grow in spring and fall when demand for heating and cooling drops. Stockpiles usually shrink during summer and winter when demand rises for climate control in homes, stores and factories.
Mathematical rounding sometimes affects the results, overstating some changes and understating others, Genscape has said.
The numbers reflect adjustments to the Genscape model and restatement of inventories for early 2009 due to distortions caused by unprecedented substitution of gas for coal in that period.
The report recorded a week-to-week decline in coal supplies, of 0.5 percent, at the time of year when stockpiles usually start to build in the low-demand period or "shoulder season" between winter and summer, Genscape said.
"That is highly unusual," a Genscape spokesman said.
U.S. generators, which rely on coal to fuel about half of U.S. electricity production, had 56 days worth of coal on hand, the same as last week, the power industry data provider said.
Companies averaged 1 day less of coal stockpiled than the same week of 2009, and 2 days less than last week's 1-day cushion, Genscape said.
Genscape estimated power generators as of Monday had 150.1 million tons of coal, down from 150.8 million tons on March 1 and down from 152.8 million tons the same week last year.
Last week brought unusual sub-freezing temperatures across a wide swath of the Southeast, where utilities rely heavily on coal to run power plants, the WSI Corp weather service said.
The combination of unusually cold weather this winter and a recovering economy has raised coal consumption. Months of weak demand due to the economic slump has triggered steady efforts by mining companies to reduce output. All three factors have contributed to a steep stockpile drawdown recently.
Until this week, the last week that recorded a decline from the same week the year before was the 38th week of 2008, in September of that year, when the normal seasonal cycle of ups and downs began to be interrupted by a slumping economy, Genscape said.
Inventories typically grow in spring and fall when demand for heating and cooling drops. Stockpiles usually shrink during summer and winter when demand rises for climate control in homes, stores and factories.
Mathematical rounding sometimes affects the results, overstating some changes and understating others, Genscape has said.
The numbers reflect adjustments to the Genscape model and restatement of inventories for early 2009 due to distortions caused by unprecedented substitution of gas for coal in that period.
