Utilities are burning less coal than they previously expected, a survey the US Surface Transportation Board conducted shows. During a Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee hearing Tuesday in Washington, committee member John Carr, the vice president of strategic planning at Dairyland Power Cooperative, presented results of a utilities survey conducted in September with the National Coal Transportation Association. In it, 71% of surveyed utilities said their coal-fired generation was below forecasted totals. Another 29% of utilities said coal-fired generation was similar to forecasts, while none said their coal-fired generation was above forecasts. Dennis Rackers, another committee member and director of fuels and materials management at Northern Indiana Public Service, said his utility is expecting a 25% decline in coal consumption this year, with volumes decreasing to 5.1 million st from 6.8 million st. He noted coal consumption would have dropped even more if the Midcontinent Independent System Operator did […]