Australian coal price at 19 March 2010

First 11 of 11 paragraphs shown Xstrata Plc and Peabody Energy Corp. stopped production and majeure at mines after exceptional rain events in Queensland during the last week of February and the first week of March.
- Coal exports from Australia have been cut after a train derailment emptied supplies at Newcastle port;
- shipments were suspended at the Hay Point terminal in Queensland following poor weather.
Hay Point: The terminal has two berths and a capacity to export 44 million tons of steelmaking coal a year. BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance said the Hay Point port in the states north remains closed after shipping was halted on March 11.
Flood impact The alliance, known as BMA, is a joint venture between BHP and Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Corp. Export capacity at the terminal was halved last month after heavy rainfall damaged one of the berths.
Australian Port: Coal prices at the Australian port of Newcastle, an Asian benchmark, fell 1 percent. The index for coal prices at the New South Wales port dropped 91 cents to $93.92 a ton in the week to March 12, according to the globalCOAL NEWC Index.
China price falls: Coal prices at Qinhuangdao, a benchmark in China, dropped for a sixth week on a seasonal lull in demand as winter needs eased and stockpiles increased.
India imports rise: India peak power shortages were 12.6 per cent in the year ending March 31. The Central Electricity Authority estimates peak power shortages at 12.6 percent in the year ending March 31.
- NTPC Ltd., Indias biggest electricity generator, planned to import 14 million metric tons of coal in the year starting April 1, Chairman R.S. Sharma said. NTPC, the owner of 20 percent of Indias power generation capacity, plans to add 4,000 megawatts in the year ahead
Plan to import 47 million tonnes: India may import 47 million tons of coal for power plants next year, Bharatsinh Solanki, junior power minister, told parliament March 12.
...Log in to read rest of Article or image.