EghtesadOnline: Tight natural gas supply and a rebound in electricity consumption have combined to push thermal coal prices to the highest in a decade and insufficient rainfall in China has contributed to the trend.

EghtesadOnline: You know the war on coal isn’t working when it’s up more than 50 percent this year. Prices in Europe and Asia have rebounded from a half-decade of declines after China cut domestic production so much that local consumers had to step up overseas purchases.

EghtesadOnline: As Australian thermal coal prices hit $100 per tonne on Tuesday for the first time since 2012, the fuel's rally is now among the commodity's top-three bull-runs on record.

EghtesadOnline: China is plowing ahead with its year-end targets for cutting unneeded coal production capacity while also seeking to ease production controls on selected miners to cool rising prices.