Saturday, July 19, 2025

Virginia coal exports rose in 2018, but future uncertain

NEWPORT NEWS — The three coal terminals in the Hampton Roads region saw double-digit increases in exports last year, but a global economy that shows signs of slowing worries some analysts.

The biggest coal-exporting port in North America finished 2018 at nearly 43 million tons (39 million metric tons), a 22-percent rise from 2017 and what analysts call a “gravity-defying” 91.1 percent hike from 2016.

However, exports dropped slightly in the fourth quarter, which IHS Markit’s Jim Thompson called an “anticlimactic” end to the year. He did caution that the slowdown didn’t mean it was a weak quarter.

But a possible economic downturn could lead to a decrease in demand for steel, which would affect the metallurgical coal used to make it. It could also create obstacles for exports of thermal coal.

John Mangalonzo
John Mangalonzohttp://wydaily.com
John Mangalonzo (john@localdailymedia.com) is the managing editor of Local Voice Media’s Virginia papers – WYDaily (Williamsburg), Southside Daily (Virginia Beach) and HNNDaily (Hampton-Newport News). Before coming to Local Voice, John was the senior content editor of The Bellingham Herald, a McClatchy newspaper in Washington state. Previously, he served as city editor/content strategist for USA Today Network newsrooms in St. George and Cedar City, Utah. John started his professional journalism career shortly after graduating from Lyceum of The Philippines University in 1990. As a rookie reporter for a national newspaper in Manila that year, John was assigned to cover four of the most dangerous cities in Metro Manila. Later that year, John was transferred to cover the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. He spent the latter part of 1990 to early 1992 embedded with troopers in the southern Philippines as they fought with communist rebels and Muslim extremists. His U.S. journalism career includes reporting and editing stints for newspapers and other media outlets in New York City, California, Texas, Iowa, Utah, Colorado and Washington state.

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