US coal consumption for the power sector will total an estimated 781.4 million st in 2015, down 8.2% from last year and the lowest amount since 1989, according to the October edition of the US Energy Information Administration’s Short Term Energy Outlook released Tuesday. A projected 28% drop in natural gas prices compared with 2014 and weak demand due to mild weather have continued to drive consumption estimates down, said Elias Johnson, coal analyst for the EIA. “We’re not having any of the problems with adequate supplies in storage that we had last year,” Johnson said. “The mild summer weather didn’t put pressure on generation of any type.” Should the figure hold, it would be the lowest overall coal consumption since 1987, when 836.9 million st was consumed, according to the agency. Article continues below… Sign up to Electricity Alert today. Platts Electricity Alert provides real-time news and market […]