Genscape coal burn falls 2 pct below same wk 2008

HOUSTON, April 24 (Reuters) - Genscape's U.S. national coal
burn index last week fell 2 percent from the same week a year
ago, but was unchanged from the previous week this year, a
source at the industry data provider said Friday.

In the densely populated East, coal usage by power
generators during the week ended Thursday was down 1 percent
from the same week of 2008, but unchanged from the week ended
April 16, Genscape figures show.

In the less populated West, coal consumption fell 18
percent from the same week last year and was 8 percent less
than the previous week this year, the source said.

A combination of unseasonably mild weather, the deep
economic slowdown and plentiful less costly power from nuclear
and natural gas-fired plants is weighing heavily on coal use,
Genscape data shows.

General Motors' announcement of an extended shutdown of
vehicle manufacturing this summer will sharply cut consumption
in the coal-dependent Midwest, the source said.

"If hot weather does not set in soon, then base load
generation is likely to fall further in coming weeks," the
Genscape source said.

There has been a rebound in power demand in the West South
Central region, including Texas, but coal-fired generation is
not keeping pace as nuclear and gas plants provide more of the
additional electricity, the source said.

Rounding sometimes slightly overstates or understates
changes from week to week, Genscape has said.

The regional indexes are calculated separately from the
national index and do not always add up to a number equaling
the separately calculated U.S. total, Genscape has said.
Region April 23 Last wk Yr ago Pct wk Pct yr
Nation 17.26 17.34 17.63 0 -2
East 15.16 15.22 15.26 0 -1
West 1.89 2.05 2.29 -8 -18
(Reporting by Bruce Nichols; Editing by Walter Bagley)