Whitehaven Coal is feeling fairly optimistic about thermal and metallurgical coal prices in 2015, marking it as one of the only groups with a positive view on the sector.

Coal remains Australia's second biggest export earner (behind iron ore), but major players including Whitehaven have been running at a loss for several years.

2015 might be the year for a turnaround through, if Whitehaven’s latest outlook is accurate.

“Whitehaven expects a stable to gradual increase in the price for its thermal coal qualities over the next year,” the company said.

The firm has posted record half year sales, as thermal coal is still the lowest cost source of energy for power generators, the outlook said.

It also claimed that the International Energy Agency is forecasting average demand to increase by 2.1 per cent a year until 2019.

Whitehaven says that demand from China has diminshed, but the company began selling more to Japan and Korea in the same period. It expects production cuts in the metallurgical coal market were still working their way through, and should boost prices sometime soon.

Whitehaven saw lower prices in the December quarter than in the preceding three months, which compares poorly with the same time the year before, which saw the NSW-based miner's sales rise by six per cent.

Analysts have broadly predicted another tough year for coal miners, but some say that Whitehaven’s performance is strong, relatively speaking.

While the company’s strong sales continue to generate cashflow, thermal coal is getting better prices than the benchmark, and Whitehaven will be well placed when 10 per cent of global metallurgical supplies drop out through mine closures in coming months.