Great Lakes Coal Trade Down 8 Percent in April
CLEVELAND—Shipments of coal on the Great Lakes totaled 2.3 million net tons in April, a decrease of 8 percent compared to a year ago. Loadings fell even further – 31.3 percent – when compared to the month’s 5-year average.
A significant reduction in coal cargos to Canada is a major factor in the decline compared to previous years. Two docks that last April collectively shipped 17 coal cargos to Canada loaded but two Canadian-bound cargos this April. The province of Ontario is phasing out the use of coal for power generation. Ontario Regulation 496/07, referred to as Cessation of Coal Use, bans the burning of coal as a fuel source at power plants throughout the province after December 31, 2014, and utilities are already transitioning to other fuel sources.