LONDON: The UK’s rate of thermal coal burn in November was down 15% year-on-year at 3.66 million mt, despite reaching a seven-month high, according to data by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Over the first eleven months of 2014, the UK’s thermal coal burn averaged 3.15 million mt/month, down from 4.14 million mt/month in the corresponding 2013 period.
DECC attributed lower coal burn in the three months to November to outages at several power stations, the closure of Uskmouth and the partial closure of Ferrybridge C during 2014, Drax unit 2 being converted to biomass, lower demand for generation overall and changes in the relative prices of coal and gas.
Thermal coal stocks at UK power generators were steady on the month at 15.02 million mt as of November 30, but 18% higher than a year earlier.
Total November coal imports into the UK — including metallurgical coal — fell 27% on-year to 3.05 million mt, the DECC data said.
