Metallurgical Need Drives $3 Billion in U.S. Coal Mining Activity

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--With all the challenges facing the U.S. coal-production industry, one area of the market is looking brighter: metallurgical coal, which is used in the production of steel. Prices for metallurgical coal recently have outperformed those of thermal coal, which is used for power generation, amid demand from the construction sector. Industrial Info's researchers believe more than $3 billion worth of active coal-production projects across the U.S. have started construction, or have a medium-to-high likelihood (70% or more) of beginning construction as planned; the bulk of this investment is toward mines that produce metallurgical coal.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the top 10 U.S. states for coal-production projects that are ongoing, or have a 70% or more chance of kicking off as planned, according to Industrial Info's project database.

The leading U.S. state for ongoing or likely coal-production projects should come as no surprise: West Virginia. Century Mining LLC, a joint venture between American Metals & Coal International Incorporated (Greenwich, Connecticut) and an international consortium, expects to finish construction this summer on its $450 million Longview Coal Mine in Volga, West Virginia. The underground mine is expected to produce 4 million tons per year of metallurgical coal. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can learn more from a detailed project report.

The Longview complex made news last month following a fatal accident at one of its existing mines. According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued 85 citations at the Longview Mine since the start of 2019, including seven for violations deemed "significant and substantial." It is unknown if the accident will affect Longview's newest project.

Other metallurgical-coal mines in West Virginia are preparing for expansions, refurbishments and restarts. RAMACO Resources Incorporated (Lexington, Kentucky) expects to finish construction this summer on a $60 million expansion of its coal refuse disposal capacity at its Elk Creek Coal Mine Complex in Davin, which will help to extend the life of the 925,000-ton-per-year mine.

Bens Creek Group (London, England) is in the final stages of a $50 million restart of the MacCorkle Pond Creek Coal Mine near Charleston, which closed in 2014 but is now expected to produce 800,000 tons per year of metallurgical coal. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the Elk Creek expansion and MacCorkle Pond Creek restart.

West Virginia is the top U.S. state for metallurgical coal production, according to a recent study from West Virginia University, and was responsible for nearly 63% of all the metallurgical coal distributed to U.S. coking plants in 2019. West Virginia also exported about $1.2 billion worth of metallurgical coal to China and India in 2021, according to the study, which was cited this week in West Virginia's The State Journal.

Alabama also is seeing several major metallurgical-coal projects in development, including Warrior Met Coal Limited Liability Company's (NYSE:HCC) (Brookwood, Alabama) $500 million Blue Creek No. 1 Underground Metallurgical Coal Mine near Berry, a single longwall mine that is expected to produce 4.8 million tons per year. Warrior also is considering a proposed second longwall mine that would expand production to as much as 8 million tons per year, depending on market conditions. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the Blue Creek mine and its possible expansion.

Fewer growth projects can be found for thermal coal mines, although Senergy Holding (Ahmadi, Kuwait) expects to finish construction in the coming months on a $40 million addition to the coal refuse disposal facility at its Cumberland Coal Mine complex in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, which will help to extend the life of the 7.4 million-ton-per-year mine by about 20 years. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for active coal-production projects across the U.S. that have started construction, or have a medium-to-high likelihood (70% or more) of beginning construction as planned.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).