US coal production will fall by 22% in 2020, as coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders drag down demand for electricity and coal mines have been idled for extended periods as a result of Covid-19.
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) says in its short-term energy outlook that the country’s coal production is forecast to total 537-million tons in 2020, down from 153-million tons in 2019.
Last week, two US coal miners announced the closure of their mines in response to the fast-spreading virus pandemic, which has shut nearly entire economies in some countries.