description of some of the risks and uncertainties that may affect our future results, you should see the “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and subsequent Form 10-Q filings.
Overview
Our results for the three months ended June 30, 2023 were pressured by softening of global metallurgical and thermal coal markets. Despite the current softness, coal markets, particularly coking coal markets, have remained above previous long-term average levels. The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to distort previously established trading patterns in the global energy markets. However, slow global economic growth, and the generally mild winter heating season in Europe and much of North America has limited overall energy demand and moderated both metallurgical and thermal coal markets. In the Pacific, while China has lifted the suspension of purchases of Australian coal, traditional trade flows in coal markets are far from being reestablished. General global inflationary pressure has moderated, following tighter monetary policies from many nations’ central banks. However, inflation may not be completely contained, and the timing and magnitude of further tightening of monetary policy remains uncertain. On a macro level, the outlook for global economic growth is uncertain, but supply constraints continue to support global metallurgical and thermal coal markets to varying degrees.
The February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to significantly disrupt previously established global coal and energy trading patterns, driving Russian products into Asian markets at discounted prices. Ongoing bans on the import of Russian coal by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, and other nations continues to pressure availability of supply to these markets. In particular, the European Union’s ban on importation of Russian coal, which became effective on August 10, 2022, and the related restriction of Russian natural gas supplies into Europe, contributed to historically high thermal coal prices in the international markets during 2022. The mild winter heating season in Europe prevented anticipated natural gas and electricity shortages, allowing European energy markets to moderate. This moderation of European energy prices has led to the reopening of several Basic Oxygen Furnace (“BOF”) steel plants in Europe that had been idled during 2022. While the outlook for steel production and coking coal demand in Europe has improved, currently broad economic weakness constrains demand for finished steel products.
Since the fourth quarter of 2020, China had effectively banned the import of coking coal and thermal coal, among other products, from Australia, the largest global exporter of coking coal. China has since lifted this ban on Australian coal. The lifting of this ban is slowly impacting trade patterns, as Australian coal begins to flow into China once again. We expect international coking and thermal coal markets to remain volatile while a new equilibrium is sought in global trading patterns. Russian coking coal, offered at discounts to published indices, remains a larger share of Chinese and Indian imports compared to historical levels, but logistical, financial, and quality constraints exist as potential barriers to further increase in Russian supplies to these markets. Chinese domestic coking coal production, and overland imports from Mongolia, have also increased significantly. However, Australian coking coal supply has continued to decline, and North American coking coal supply has only increased incrementally, despite coking coal prices staying persistently above long-term historical averages. There are also some early signs that the current relative softness in international coking coal markets may be putting financial pressure on some high cost producers.
Some new coking coal supply has been added to the market, and more is planned. However, production and logistical disruptions, continue to constrain supply. The duration of specific supply disruptions is unknown. We believe that underinvestment in the sector in recent years underlies longer-term market dynamics. Overall, underinvestment in the sector appears likely to persist, despite favorable markets, as government policies and diminished access to traditional capital markets, limits investment in the sector. In the current macroeconomic environment, we expect coking coal prices to remain volatile. Longer term, we believe continued limited global capital investment in new coking coal production capacity, normal reserve depletion, and an eventual return to economic growth will provide support to coking coal markets.
During the first six months of 2023, domestic thermal coal consumption was pressured by a mild winter heating season in most of the heavily populated areas of the United States, and falling natural gas prices. Currently, natural gas prices are at levels that allow it to economically dispatch ahead of thermal coal. We have firm sales commitments for the current year for our thermal segment at volume levels that provide for economic operation, even if some volume is deferred. Longer term, we continue to believe thermal coal demand in the United States will remain pressured by continuing increases in subsidized renewable generation sources, particularly wind and solar, planned retirements of coal