Central Appalachian prices budge (barely) as natural gas breaks $4 mark

摘要

Coalfield sources expressed little to no excitement about the prospects of rising Central and Northern Appalachian coal prices last week, even in the midst of higher natural gas prices, unseasonably cool early spring temperatures and the continued idling of Consol Energy's sizeable Blacksville No. 2 underground mine in the Pittsburgh seam. The NYMEX May natural gas futures contract was down 4.4 cents to $4.024/MMBtu Thursday morning ahead of the mid-morning release of US gas storage data.