India's Coal Import Rises 27% In December

India's coal import registered a rise of 27.2% to 23.35 Million Tonne in December, over the corresponding month of the previous fiscal.

The coal ministry is aiming for zero thermal coal import by FY26. The country's coal import was 18.35 MT in the corresponding month of the previous fiscal, according to data compiled by mjunction services ltd.

"Coal imports in December 2023 stood around 23.35 million tonne...Imports in December 2023 were up by 27.25 per cent as compared to 18.35 MT recorded for December 2022," it said.

Of the total imports in December, non-coking coal imports stood at 15.47 MT, against 10.61 MT imported in December 2022.

Coking coal import volume was 4.84 MT, against 4.71 MT imported in the same month of the previous financial year.

The coal import in the April-December period of the current fiscal increased to 192.43 MT, over 191.82 MT in the year-ago period.

During the April-December period of the current fiscal, non-coking coal import was at 124.37 MT, marginally lower than 126.89 MT imported during the same period in the previous financial year.

Coking coal import was at 42.81 MT during April-December 2023-24, slightly up against 41.35 MT recorded for April-December 2022-23.

Commenting on the coal import trend, Vinaya Varma, MD & CEO, mjunction, said, "There was an increase in thermal coal imports in December, especially by cement and sponge iron sectors, amid a fall in seaborne prices for South African coal. While the current demand for imports remains subdued, actual volumes would depend on how the seaborne prices move in the coming months."