Coal

The latest version of Donald Trump's proposed tax bill includes a reduction in the price of coal used to produce steel. This subsidy could amount to hundreds of millions over a period of 10 years, for a fuel which is mainly exported to China. In April, Trump issued executive orders directing Chris Wright, former CEO of fracking and energy secretary, to determine if metallurgical coal, or met coal, is a critical mineral. Wright did so in May. The latest version of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, released by the Senate over the weekend, allows met coal to claim a tax...

The U.S. coal company Peabody Energy has extended a lockout in one of its New South Wales mining operations, the Mining and Energy Union said Thursday. This follows a protest by its workers who demanded better wages and job security. According to the union, Peabody informed MEU members that the lockout of the Helensburgh underground mine would continue until July 6. The union stated that the workers had been locked out and without pay since 18 June. It also urged the Federal Government for a change in workplace laws which allow employers to take excessively "disproportionate" or "punitive actions" against...

We Energies is a subsidiary of WEC Energy and plans to extend the operation of units 7 & 8 at the Oak Creek Coal-fired Power Plant in Wisconsin until the end of 2026. Now, the plant that was to be retired at the end 2025 will have units to meet the high energy demand. We Energies President Mike Hooper stated that "just this month, National Grid experts raised the alarm about elevated risks of electricity shortages and prices spikes due plant closures and increased energy demand in Upper Midwest." In April, U.S. president Donald Trump signed executive orders to boost...

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday that the legal challenge against California's vehicle emission standards and electric cars, under a federal law on air pollution, should not have been dismissed. In a 7-2 decision, the justices overturned a lower-court's dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a Valero Energy affiliate and groups from the fuel industry. The lower court concluded that plaintiffs did not have the legal standing required to challenge the 2022 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to allow California to set its own regulation. The dispute revolved around an exception given to California under former Democratic President Joe...

Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said that it has proposed to repeal Biden administration rules intended to curb carbon dioxide and mercury emissions as well as other air pollutants from power plants. This is in line with a March promise made by the agency. The announcement is part of President Donald Trump's larger efforts to undo environmental regulations that he sees as unnecessary obstacles to industrial development and increased energy production. Zeldin, at EPA's headquarters, said that "EPA has taken an important step in reclaiming sanity, demonstrating we can protect the environment while growing the...

According to three sources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will announce Wednesday that it is rolling back the Biden administration's rules to reduce carbon dioxide, mercury, and other air pollutants from power plants. This follows through on the promise made by the agency in March. The announcement is a major step in President Donald Trump’s efforts to undo environmental regulations that he believes are unnecessary barriers to industrial growth and increased energy production. In March, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced his intention to undo three dozen air and water regulations. Sources say Zeldin is expected to roll back carbon...

The U.S. The U.S. The Montana-based company can now recover 22.8 million metric tonnes of federal coal, 34.5 millions of adjacent nonfederal coal as well as extend the life of its Bull Mountains mine for nine years. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is also the co-chairman of Trump's Energy Dominance Council. He said that by unlocking more federally owned coal, it allows the U.S. a chance to strengthen ties with U.S. ally abroad. He said that President Trump's declaration of a national emergency in the energy sector allowed us to act quickly, reduce bureaucratic delays, and secure America’s future by ensuring...

BlackRock, BlackRock is the largest asset manager in the world. It said that the U.S. support of a "baseless case" alleging asset management conspired to decrease competition in the coal industry risks undermining the goal of energy independence. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a Statement of Interest on Thursday in the case brought by Texas and twelve other states against BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street Global Advisors. The states claim that the companies used their significant holdings in U.S. companies of coal to discourage competition. BlackRock stated in a press release that "DOJ's...

U.S. antitrust enforcers backed up on Thursday the arguments used by Republican states accusing asset managers BlackRock Vanguard State Street and State Street, of conspiring to reduce coal production through climate activism. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interests in the case in which Texas and 12 other States claim that the companies used their significant holdings in U.S. Coal companies to discourage the competition. The agencies asked the judge in Tyler, Texas to reject the asset managers' arguments in their bid for dismissal, including the argument that the alleged misconduct falls under an exemption applicable to...

The top Democrat of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday asked Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabriel to provide proof of her alleged political bias, which led to her ousting the heads of intelligence community's most analytical body. Gabbard removed the two after the National Intelligence Council issued an assessment that contradicted the legal argument used to deport members of the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua by U.S. president Donald Trump. The Trump administration used the claim that Tren de Aragua coordinates its U.S. actions with the Venezuelan Government of President Nicolas Maduro in order to invoke the...

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Republican senator and former federal employee who screens coal miners for black lungs disease and conducts research on other respiratory diseases who were terminated in a sweeping government layoff have their jobs permanently restored. According to an email sent to employees by the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, they make up a significant percentage of 313 workers who were notified by the Department that their layoff notifications were rescinded. NIOSH has nearly 1,500 full-time employees in eight offices throughout the world. United States Capito stated in a press release that Robert F....

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Republican senator and former federal employee who screens coal miners for black lungs disease and conducts research on other respiratory diseases who were terminated in a sweeping government layoff have their jobs permanently restored. Capito stated in a press release that she received an assurance from Health Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., that the Department of Health and Human Services had reversed the terminations of staff at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, West Virginia. In a press release, she stated that "my understanding is from Secretary Kennedy that over 100...

The emergence of artificial intelligence and the rising cost of cleaner energy, combined with a new energy plan and the rise in costs for cleaner energy, has brought Japan back into the limelight for LNG producers. Japan, which is the second largest LNG importer in the world, has secured long-term deals with Qatar, and other buyers are also securing such agreements. Japan's LNG exports have been falling for over a decade, as the nuclear power plants that were idled following the Fukushima catastrophe began to operate again and renewable energy sources grew. The AI boom will require enormous power consumption...

China's imports of iron ore are expected to be their highest month in this year in June, a sign of resilience not mirrored by the steel industry's sluggishness. According to analysts LSEG & Kpler, China is expected to import nearly 110 million metric tonnes of this key raw material for steel. Kpler estimates that 109.56 millions tons of cargo will arrive in June, while LSEG predicts 109.1million. It would be an increase of about 11% over May's official imported 98.13 millions tons, and the best month since December's 112,49 million tons which was the second highest on record. Why are...

Sources familiar with the situation said that China shipped at least three cargoes worth of coking coal in May to processors on Indonesia's Sulawesi, invading a market dominated by Australia and Indonesia. China, the world's largest importer of coal for steelmaking, isn't a major exporter. It has only exported the fuel to Indonesia three times since 2024 began, according to monthly Chinese customs statistics. Three sources claim that the state-run Shanxi Coking Coal Group exported coking coal from China to Indonesia in last month. Risun operates one of Indonesia's largest coke-processing facilities in the Sulawesi area. Sources said that the...

An official from a major industry association said that China's coal exports could fall by as much as 100 million metric tonnes in 2025. This could put global benchmark prices, which are already at multi-year-lows, under even more pressure. The world's biggest consumer, producer and importer of fossil fuels increased imports to a new record of 542.7 millions metric tons by 2024 as lower international prices prompted buyers to substitute imported coal for domestic supply. Xuegang Li (Vice President of China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association) told Coaltrans China on Wednesday that imports could drop by between 50 and 100...

China, the largest coal importer in the world, reduced its imports by 18% on an annual basis, according to customs data released Friday. Low-cost domestic coal eroded overseas purchases, while renewables slowed down coal-fired electricity generation. According to the General Administration of Customs, imports were 36.04 millions metric tons for the month, down from 43.82million tons in May 2024. This was the third consecutive month that China's imports of coal fell year-over-year. They had increased previously every month from November 2022. January and February were excluded because they are affected by Lunar New Year holidays. The data shows that coal...

Analysts and traders agree that the prospects for iron ore price are improving due to a smaller than expected global surplus in this year. However, new supply coming from the massive Simandou project, located in Guinea, remains a downside risk on a longer-term basis. More than a dozen analysts and traders interviewed at this week's Singapore International Ferrous Week said that their forecasts of oversupply for this year have been reduced from 50,000,000 tons to between 20,000,000 and 30,000,000 metric tons. The reason is that demand has been resilient this year, thanks to strong steel exports. Buyers stocked up on...

The Ministry of Finance (MOF), on Thursday, reported that Japan's crude oil imports cleared by customs in 2024 fell 7.1% from the previous year, and the value of the imported crude oil dropped 5.7%, to 10.65 trillion Japanese yen ($74.7billion), due to the lower oil price. The preliminary data show that Japan, which is the fourth largest crude buyer in the world, imported 2,32 million barrels of crude oil per day (134,67 million kilolitres), for the period ending March 31. The MOF reported that this was the second consecutive decline in value and volume year-over-year. The volume of Japan's LNG...

China's imports were low in the first quarter. The challenge is to determine whether this was due to temporary factors, or a deeper economic malaise. In the first quarter of 2025, the four biggest commodity imports - crude oil, iron ore coal and copper - all fell compared to 2024. The soft imports can be explained by the fact that the second largest economy in the world is still trying to gain momentum for economic growth. This task is made more difficult by the trade war escalating by U.S. president Donald Trump. This ignores some factors that are unique to...

South Africa's currency, the rand, fell to its lowest level in 18 months Monday. Local stocks also plunged and then recovered as financial markets were shaken by fears of a global recession due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The rand was trading at 19.31 per dollar, down 1% since Friday's closing, and its lowest level since October 2023. Trump did not show any signs of rescinding his tariff plans Sunday and on Monday, investors flocked to safe-haven currencies such as the Swiss franc and yen. The emerging market index is heading for the biggest one-day drop since 2008's global financial...

China's iron and steel sector is caught between the expectation that conditions will improve and the reality of much of the data that currently exists. This dynamic was highlighted by the National Bureau of Statistics' data released on Monday, which showed a decline in China's investment, sales and property prices. Data from January-February showed that property sales and investment fell by 9.8% and 5.1% respectively year-on-year. New construction started dropped by 29.6% after a drop of 23.0% in 2024. The new home price fell by 4.8% from the previous year in February, adding to data that showed that Beijing's efforts...

China's coal exports increased 2.1% in the past year, according to official data released on Friday. The import arbitrage was still open, despite the risks that could affect the outlook of imports. China releases data for both months together to reduce the impact of Lunar New Year which can fall in either month. Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that imports from January to February were 76.12 millions metric tons. This is up from 74.52million tons the previous year. Two major industry groups last week called for limits on coal imports from China, especially low-quality coals, due to...

Beijing has largely promised to continue the mild stimulus policy seen last year. The news that the United States and Canada have agreed to a 5% economic growth goal and promised to increase consumption as well as deal with any negative effects of the trade war, were positive. The parliament meeting of this week was also far short of any sort of announcements of stimuli that could have given commodity markets confidence that China, as the largest buyer of natural resources in the world, will see a meaningful increase in imports by 2025. What's likely to happen is that the...