Coal

Itochu, Japan's largest retailer, posted a record-breaking 4% increase in its nine-month net profits through December 31st, to 705.3 billion dollars. This was a result of strong consumer businesses, such as food, textiles and the convenience store chain. The trading house's food unit saw a 38% increase in profit to 82.5 billion Japanese yen, up from 60 billion last year. This was due to higher banana sales and production, as well as growth of the packaged foods division at Dole agriculture. Tsuyoshi Hachimura, Chief Financial Officer of the company, said at a press conference that "core profits in non-resources sectors...

According to a spokesperson for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump has reversing the staffing cuts at the agency, which provides services and research to coal miners, firemen and other workers. Since mass job cuts in 2013, the status of NIOSH employees has been in flux. Some workers were brought out of administrative leave this month, only to find out a few days later that their employment was permanently terminated. Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed that staffing reductions were reversed as of?Tuesday evening....

The U.S. greenhouse gases emissions increased for the first two years at a faster rate than the U.S. economy. They rose by 2.4% by 2025. This was largely due to the increase in power sector demand and the use of fuel for heating buildings. According to the research firm, the increase in emissions was primarily due to increased emissions from direct fuel used to heat buildings. These emissions rose 6.8% from 2025 to the previous year. The power sector also saw a 3.8% increase in emissions as a result of coal-fired generators being added to meet the demand for?data centres...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rejected Colorado's plan on Friday to comply with regional haze regulations by closing its coal plants. It said the state "needs" the plants to continue running to maintain reliable power. The agency stated that Colorado's plan to reduce pollution from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxidation, which causes haze and smog in national parks and wilderness regions, violated the Clean Air Act since the state failed to?get the consent of one of the coal plant targeted for an early retirement. Why it's important The Trump administration is extending the life of coal-fired plants in order to...

Northern Indiana Public Service Company announced on Wednesday that it had?received an order from the federal government requiring continued operation of R.M. Schahfer generation station will continue to operate 'well beyond?its December 31, 2025 retirement date. The firm said that the order requires the Indiana-based facility to remain open for a period of 90 days following the date of?order. The directive is coming as several U.S. utilities are delaying coal plant retirements in order to meet the 'rising demand for power,' driven by data centers and rising natural gas prices, which have led to a re-focus on coal generation. Donald...

The U.S. energy secretary signed an executive order on Tuesday that will 'keep a unit at TransAlta coal power?plant open for most of the winter in Washington State, the latest step taken by the Trump Administration to support fossil fuels. The order instructs the unit 2 at Centralia Generating?Station, to remain open. The order says that it is to close at the end of 2025. However, it will remain in force until March 16, 2026. Chris Wright, Energy Secretary of the United States, said in September that he expected that many coal plants would delay their retirement to provide electricity...

The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Friday that it will make $100 million available for refurbishing and modernizing existing coal-fired plants. This move is part the Trump administration’s efforts to reverse the decline in coal usage in the United States. Last month, the Energy Department announced that it would invest $625 million in expanding coal-fired power generation. In recent years, the number of coal-fired plants has decreased due to the concerns over the impact of fossil fuels on the environment and public health as well as the competition from natural gas. According to the administration of Donald Trump, coal...

Trump Administration weighs COP30 Participation Energy Secretary indicates he's open to going Conservative groups oppose U.S. attending global climate meeting By David Sherfinski The global COP30 Summit, which will take place in Brazil's Amazonian City of Belem next month, is expected to bring together representatives of almost every country in the world to discuss their efforts to combat climate change. There are many countries that must make major decisions about how to keep greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, which Trump has said the U.S. will abandon. The White House is yet to publicly disclose whether or...

A spokesperson for the Interior Department said that, two days after a disappointing Montana auction, the Trump administration had postponed an auction of coal leases scheduled to take place on federal land in Wyoming. According to contingency plan published last week, the Bureau of Land Management (a division of Interior) was expected to continue processing permits and leasings for oil and gas operations and coal during the shutdown. Wednesday morning, a sale of 3,508 acres federal coal reserves located in Wyoming's Campbell County and Converse county was scheduled. The lease area has 365,000,000 tons of recoverable coking coal. Interior announced...

Anglo American's CEO Duncan Wanblad stated on Wednesday that the company still views Africa as a part of its future because of its vital mineral resources. This is despite recent restructurings and asset sales in Africa. Anglo American is exiting its platinum and coal operations in South Africa where it was founded more than a century earlier. It will sell diamond miner De Beers and shift its focus on copper, an essential metal for the clean energy transformation. Kumba Iron Ore is the only major asset of South Africa. Wanblad, despite these exits, said Anglo intended to use South Africa's...

According to the Interior Department's contingency plan published on Wednesday, some government employees will remain on duty during the shutdown to process oil, gas, and coal leases on public lands. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management posted a plan that stated the goal of maintaining workers in these areas was to address the national energy crisis declared by President Donald Trump when he assumed office in January. BLM's shutdown plan for 2023 did not exclude energy leasing or permitting. The plan stated that "in order to protect life and property of the federal government and to address the National Energy...

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Monday that it will open up 13.1 million acres (53,013.8 square kilometers), of federal land to the public. The Trump administration is trying to reverse the decline in coal use. In April, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to increase coal production. This was one of many actions he took that ran counter to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), coal-burning power plants will generate about 15% of U.S. electricty in 2024. This is down from 50% in 2000. Fracking and other drilling techniques have...

China's steel output in November was the 'weakest month' in almost two years. This will result in the world's largest producer of metal posting its 'lowest annual production since 2018'. Imports of iron ore, the key raw material for steel, are expected to reach a new record in 2025. This will surpass the previous high of 1,24 billion metric tonnes, set in 2024. Iron ore stocks were restocked amid low seaborne prices, and there was optimism that Beijing’s stimulus measures would eventually increase steel demand. While the iron ore sector may be experiencing a positive sentiment, it is still facing...

India is considering the viability to import coking coal from Mongolia, despite the transport bottlenecks. New Delhi wants to diversify its supplies of this key ingredient in steelmaking. India, which is the second largest crude steel producer in the world, imports about 85% its coking coal, more than half of which comes from Australia. The source stated that the demand is expected to increase in the coming years. This will prompt the government and steelmakers alike to seek out new suppliers. Mongolia is a landlocked country with two export trade routes - one via Russia, and the other through China....

The price of iron ore futures fell on Friday but recorded their third consecutive weekly gain due to recent infrastructure demand. The day-traded contract for January iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange closed 0.19% lower, at 794 Yuan ($112.18) per metric ton. The contract rose 1.14% in the past week. As of 0717 GMT, the benchmark December iron ore traded on Singapore Exchange was down 0.89% at $105.75 per ton. The contract has gained 1.73% in the first week. Galaxy Futures, a Chinese broker, says that infrastructure demand has been increasing recently. Prices are expected to follow fundamentals on...

Customs data released on Friday showed that China's imports of coal in October were down 10% from the previous year, due to a holiday which reduced the number working days during the month. Imports will be supported in 2025 by the winter restocking of products during the last two months. Imports in October fell from 46.25 to 41.74 millions metric tons, a drop of almost ten percent. Imports in September reached 46 million metric tonnes, a record high for nine months. Feng Dongbin is vice-general manager of Fenwei Digital Information Technology. He said that imports decreased sequentially, and also from...

The prices of the main grades in seaborne thermal coal have been recovering modestly from their four-year lows. However, the gains come at the expense of volume as major importers reduce demand. According to analysts DBX Commodities, China, India and South Korea are on course for lower coal arrivals in September than October. The prices of the main Australian and Indonesian grades have been rising since early June after a downward trend that began in October 2023. The lower prices in July and August did increase import demand, but the higher prices are now causing buyers to pull back. DBX...

Open Interest (ROI), your indispensable source of global financial commentary, is Open Interest. The prices of seaborne thermal coal have been recovering modestly from their four-year lows in Asia, but this is at the cost of volume as major importers reduce demand. According to analysts DBX Commodities, China, India and South Korea are on course for lower coal arrivals in September than October. The prices of the main Australian and Indonesian grades have been rising since early June after a downward trend that began in October 2023. The lower prices in July and August did increase import demand, but the...

The Chinese-led expansion in Indonesia of aluminium production is expected to lead the global market in excess next year. This will result in lower prices for the metal used widely in the transportation industry. Three new smelters backed by China are close to completion, including Xinfa-Tsingshan Juwan in Weda Bay, Taijing at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park and the Adaro-Lygend Kaltara Project in North Kalimantan. Indonesia exported 325.293 metric tonnes of aluminium from January to August of this year. This is up 67% compared to the same period last year. Ross Strachan is an analyst with consultancy CRU. He said,...

Industry and government sources claim that India's private power producers are urging the government to allow the importation of equipment from China. They say the domestic resources available in the country are not enough and expensive, and the country is looking to increase its coal-based generation. India's Ministry of Power, as part of its "Make in India", mandated that homemade equipment be used in 2021. The initiative was designed to boost local manufacturing. This programme was also launched at a time of high diplomatic tensions between China and India. According to a letter that was reviewed by, the Association of...

BHP announced on Wednesday that it would suspend operations and eliminate 750 jobs in a Queensland coal mine, which it shares with an affiliate of Mitsubishi. It blamed low prices and high royalties from the state government for its poor returns. BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), Saraji South, a part of the Saraji Mine Complex will enter a care and maintenance period from November 2025. BHP and Mitsubishi Development, an arm of Mitsubishi Corp., jointly own the mine. The Saraji Complex produced 8,2 million metric tonnes of coking coal during the year ending June 2025. BHP, Mitsubishi Development and BMA Asset...

Customs data released on Monday showed that China's coal exports reached an eight-month peak in August. This was largely due to higher prices at home, but volumes were still below those seen a year ago. According to the General Administration of Customs, the country imported 42.74 millions metric tons of coke last month. This was the highest since December but down around 7% compared to August 2024. Toby Hassall is the lead analyst of LSEG's coal market. He said that "the rise in imports reflected a widened arbitrage as China’s domestic prices climbed following a reduction in coal production locally...

According to an official from a major mining company and analysts, China has curbed coal production after an unexpected increase in supply during the first half of this year, which weighed down on prices. In July, China's production fell to its lowest level for over a month. In the first half of this year, it had increased by more than 5%. Prices in some areas of the country fell nearly 30%. Analysts say that the country increased inspections in July, to ensure that plants maintained their approved production capacity. An official of China Coal Energy, China's largest coal miner, said...

A new report released on Monday found that China built 21 gigawatts of coal power plants in the first half 2025. This is the highest amount since 2016, even though the country continues to build record amounts of renewable energy. The authors of a report from the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, CREA, wrote: "The commissioning surge of 2025 is a delayed reaction to the permit surge of 2022-2023." This surge was in response to the power shortages and blackouts of 2021 and 2022. Supply disruptions, higher coal prices and tighter emission standards all collided at...