Coal Supply Constraints

Coal: Resources and Future Production

When discussing the future availability of fossil energy resources, the conventional wisdom has it that globally there is an abundance of coal which allows for an increasing coal consumption far into the future. This is either regarded as being a good thing enabling the
eventual substitution of declining crude oil and natural gas supplies. Or it is seen as a horror scenario leading to catastrophic consequences for the world’s climate. But the discussion rarely focuses on the premise: how much coal is there really?

In fact, US coal supplies peaked in 1998. This paper attempts to give a comprehensive view of global coal resources and past and current coal production based on a critical analysis of available statistics. This analysis is then used to provide an outlook on the possible coal production in the coming decades. The result
of the analysis is that there is probably much less coal left to be burnt than most people think. More

Colorado Coal Supply Shortages 2005-2006

Economically Extractable Coal Supplies in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. USGS 2002 Report More

Xcel's Responses on Coal Supply Constraints. PUC July 2006
More

Xcel (David Wilkes) Testimony Before Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee: May 2006 More