thermal coal

Thermal coal used by utilities, by contrast, is often mined at the surface with big earth moving machines.

Beijing last month imposed price controls on thermal coal bought directly from mines but spot market prices continued to rise.

The supply disruptions are also boosting the price of lower-quality thermal coal, used for power generation.

However, it exports more coal than any other country, and substantially more than Indonesia, the world leader in thermal coal, and Russia.

Stocks of thermal coal, used to fire power stations, are among those to have been drawn down.

The arrival of winter in Europe also boosted demand for thermal coal, used to fuel power plants, traders said.

But the recent flooding in Australia's coal-rich state of Queensland has cut supplies from one of the world's top thermal coal exporters.

China produces a huge amount of thermal coal, but most of this output is consumed domestically.

The NDRC also said Wednesday that thermal coal for use in electricity generation should have priority access to the rail network.

Xstrata predicted imports of thermal coal would grow strongly in those countries where domestic supplies could not meet demand.

Thermal coal prices have been quietly moving higher since the 2009-10 annual contracts were set at $71 a tonne.

The surge in thermal coal prices mirrors sharp gains in other bulk commodities such as iron ore and coking coal, used to manufacture steel.

Thermal coal prices could drop over the short-term, however.

The Chinese thermal coal market has tightened after heavy snow in northern China disrupted mining operations and railway transportation.

Meanwhile, an explosion at an underground mine in Colombia that produced thermal coal used by utilities killed 73 miners.

Looking forward, most analysts, traders and executives believe China will continue to buy significant quantities of thermal coal overseas.

Coking coal is used to make steel, while power plants provide a market for thermal coal.

It is poised to overtake Japan as the largest importer of thermal coal.

It could become the world's largest importer of thermal coal for power generation this year.

In coal markets, its shift to being a net importer of thermal coal in 2009 pushed prices to their current record highs.

Australian thermal coal production was up five per cent on the fourth quarter of 2008.

Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of thermal coal.

It said rail cars should carry thermal coal before other grades, such as coking coal, a key ingredient in steel-making.

India could become the world's biggest thermal coal importer by 2015.

Nomura reckons that thermal coal will hit a peak price of $170 a tonne in 2012 compared with $110 now.

China's net imports of thermal coal were 24m tonnes in the first half of the year, against exports of 4m in the same period of 2008.

China became a net importer of thermal coal this year.

Seaborne trade in thermal coal rose to about 690 million tons this year, up from 385 million in 2001.

European thermal coal prices jumped 5. 5 per cent on Thursday, reaching a two-year high of $129. 25 a tonne.

Thermal coal is still well below last year's record of more than $180 a tonne.

As Citi points out, tariffs remained flat last year despite an 11 per cent increase in Chinese thermal coal prices.

China became a net importer of coal last year, and could soon surpass Japan as the world's top importer of thermal coal.

thermal coal; logistics network; supply chain management; economic efficiency;

Research on Math Model between Heating Value of Thermal Coal and Industrial Analysis Index of the Coal