Yes it's a longer-term story marred by obstacles, but PRB exports likely to flower

摘要

For those who can patiently envision it as a long-term play that will require several years to jump start and take maybe even longer to prosper in a big way, Powder River Basin coal export business might be a strategy that pays handsomely for key Western producers. All of the enthusiastic discussion about PRB coal's potential into the Asian market by Arch Coal, Peabody Energy and others might have become a wearisome topic for those who doubt the lower-Btu products will thrive in big volumes as an overseas venture. There are daunting barriers that will make the process of establishing significant business a slow and painful process; transportation costs, low heat content of the coal and the much-discussed opposition by environmental groups to all things coal, which means fierce battles over proposals for new West Coast ports.