coal deals at over 300dollars a ton

The price of coal rising certainly is not hurting it....

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN2464035320080624

US benchmark coals climb past $130 a short ton

HOUSTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Benchmark U.S. power-plant coals soared past $130 a short ton on Tuesday on rising world prices and supply-demand fundamentals.

Big Sandy barge coal for July topped $130 a ton on the New York Mercantile Exchange. July Central Appalachian coal via CSX railroad (CSX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) roared past $150 a ton.

Prices were between $90 and $100 a ton as recently as April.

Flooding on the upper Mississippi River has interrupted barge and rail shipments, domestic demand is up and world prices keep climbing, analysts said.

Prices for the other major type of coal, steel-making or metallurgical coal, have cleared $300 a ton with reports of deals well above that level.

Shortfalls in production in several coal exporting countries and skyrocketing demand in booming Asia have driven world market prices higher. (Reporting by Bruce Nichols; Editing by Christian Wiessner)