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In its Short-Term Energy Outlook released on Tuesday, the agency increased its 2013 export forecast by 900,000 tons to 115.3 million tons, from an August forecast of 114.2Mt.
The EIA did not clarify why it had increased its forecast but did say continuing economic weakness in Europe, slowing Asian demand growth, increasing supply in other coal-exporting countries and falling international coal prices were the primary reasons the 2013 forecast remained lower than last year’s record exports of 126Mt.
The export forecast for 2014 also increased by 1Mt to 109Mt.
Production was revised in the opposite direction, with the EIA dropping its forecast from 1.026 billion tons to 1.013Bt for the year.
Coal production in August was the highest it had been in a year, at nearly 89Mt, the agency said.
Forecast consumption stayed steady at 942Mt in 2013 and 959Mt in 2014.
