Tue Apr 27, 2010 9:30pm IST
HOUSTON, April 27 (Reuters) - Coal stockpiles at U.S. power plants rose 1.5 percent this week, but were 1.4 percent smaller than last year at this time, Genscape said Tuesday.
U.S. generators that rely on coal to fuel about half of U.S. electricity output had 62 days worth of coal on hand as of Monday, one more day than last week, the data provider said.
But power companies averaged one less day of coal stockpiled than in the same week of 2009, Genscape said.
Spring temperatures were above normal in populous areas of the country and were cool in the normally warmer Southwest, WSI Corp weather service said.
The varied temperatures kept power demand for heating or cooling from surging, and natural gas prices bounced back over $4 per million British thermal units, limiting fuel-switching by utilities and independent generators and supporting coal burn.
As of Monday, power generators had 166.7 million tons of coal, up from 164.3 tons stockpiled on April 19, but down from 169 million tons in the same week last year, Genscape said.
Inventories typically grow in spring and fall when demand for heating and cooling drops. Stockpiles shrink in summer and winter when demand for interior climate control rises.
Mathematical rounding sometimes affects the results, overstating some changes and understating others, Genscape has said.
The numbers reflect adjustments to the Genscape model and restatement of inventories for early 2009 due to distortions caused by unprecedented substitution of gas for coal in that period. (Reporting by Bruce Nichols; Editing by Carole Vaporean)
Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINN2733575020100427
HOUSTON, April 27 (Reuters) - Coal stockpiles at U.S. power plants rose 1.5 percent this week, but were 1.4 percent smaller than last year at this time, Genscape said Tuesday.
U.S. generators that rely on coal to fuel about half of U.S. electricity output had 62 days worth of coal on hand as of Monday, one more day than last week, the data provider said.
But power companies averaged one less day of coal stockpiled than in the same week of 2009, Genscape said.
Spring temperatures were above normal in populous areas of the country and were cool in the normally warmer Southwest, WSI Corp weather service said.
The varied temperatures kept power demand for heating or cooling from surging, and natural gas prices bounced back over $4 per million British thermal units, limiting fuel-switching by utilities and independent generators and supporting coal burn.
As of Monday, power generators had 166.7 million tons of coal, up from 164.3 tons stockpiled on April 19, but down from 169 million tons in the same week last year, Genscape said.
Inventories typically grow in spring and fall when demand for heating and cooling drops. Stockpiles shrink in summer and winter when demand for interior climate control rises.
Mathematical rounding sometimes affects the results, overstating some changes and understating others, Genscape has said.
The numbers reflect adjustments to the Genscape model and restatement of inventories for early 2009 due to distortions caused by unprecedented substitution of gas for coal in that period. (Reporting by Bruce Nichols; Editing by Carole Vaporean)
Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINN2733575020100427
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