By Henning Gloystein
SINGAPORE, Feb 26 (Reuters) - European thermal coal prices are at a discount of over $10 per tonne to Asian benchmarks as the end of the winter season dents power demand and as strong renewable output curbs the need for coal-fired electricity generation.
Average temperatures in most of continental Europe are expected to drop from around 3 degrees Celsius currently - which is 1 degree below the seasonal norm - to 6-7 degrees by the first week of March, according to weather data in Reuters, crimping power and heating demand.
A slight increase in coal prices earlier in the week was a result of a short-term fall in German wind power output, traders said, but added that this effect would soon fizzle out as electricity generation from wind was expected to pick up again over the weekend.
Coal cargoes for delivery into Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Antwerp (ARA) last closed at $43.75 per tonne GCLARAPDSMc1 , still close to a multi-year low of $41.95 a tonne reached on February 22.
The mild European weather outlook and strong renewable power generation, which is also supported by rising solar output as the short winter days get longer moving into spring, meant that European coal prices are over $10 cheaper than benchmarks from Australia's Newcastle terminal, which last settled at $54.15 per tonne GCLNWCPFBMc1 .
Shipments for prompt delivery from South Africa's Richards Bay terminal were last valued at $54.40 a tonne GCLRCBPFBMc1 .
But traders said that especially Australian coal prices would likely come under pressure soon as well.
"China's winter is also ending and we can already see a sharp fall in orders from Australia," one trader said.
China's coal imports in January from top supplier Australia fell 16 percent from a year ago to 4.27 million tonnes, with demand for overseas supplies hit by a domestic supply glut as well as the looming end of winter. January coal imports from Australia were also down, falling 13 percent to 7.73 million tonnes, with overall Japanese monthly imports down 13.2 percent to 9.71 million tonnes.