Free Republic

A groundbreaking lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas accuses financial giants BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street of colluding to manipulate the U.S. coal market. The case, spearheaded by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and supported by 10 other state attorneys general, alleges that these firms have used their substantial ownership stakes in major coal producers to suppress competition and artificially raise energy prices. The states listed as plaintiffs are” Texas Alabama Arkansas Indiana Iowa Kansas Missouri Montana Nebraska West Virginia Wyoming According to the 108-page complaint, BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street collectively...

Fossil fuel prices have surged in recent weeks, with coal prices more-than-doubling from the end of Febuary to March 10th. Demand for key fossil fuels has surged as the anxiety of supply chain disruptions sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has grown. China is expected to turn to Indonesia to fill the gap in its coal imports should Russian coal exports be further disrupted. ... China is the biggest importer of coal, followed by India, Japan, and South Korea. Coal prices rose from $186 per metric tonne on 23rd February to $462 on 10th March ... Asian governments are rapidly...

China thermal coal prices hit record high. ... Cold winds from north sweeps central and east China. China's Met Office forecasts sharp drops in temperatures. China's energy crisis deepened on Friday as cold weather swept into much of the country and power plants scrambled to stock up on coal, sending prices of the fuel to record highs. Electricity demand to heat homes and offices is expected to soar this week as strong cold winds move down from northern China. Forecasters predict average temperatures in some central and eastern regions could fall by as much as 16 degrees Celsius in the...

With coal demand increasing across the planet, the supply tightness has seen European coal prices follow the global appreciation trend. The recent allure of coal also showcases the deficiencies of the carbon pricing mechanism. The current coal demand surge should force the European Union to reconsider its position on coal. As European gas prices have continued their surge throughout the past couple of weeks, the role and importance of coal has sparked a new wave of discussion across the continent. ... Europe’s coal exports have been hovering around the 12 million tons per month mark for three months already, moving...

European coal prices have hit a 13-year high as coal supply to Europe remains constrained and utilities fire up more coal power plants amid surging natural gas prices. The price of coal for delivery next year to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub has risen by 2.6 percent to $137 per metric ton, ... The prices are at their highest since 2008 as more coal is added to Europe’s electricity output these days amid record-high gas prices, and as supply and stockpiles are scrambling to meet demand. “Stock levels across Europe are low, and as on the gas market, coal supply from...