India's Coal Imports Hold Steady: Domestic Production Surge Offsets Demand Growth

India's coal imports remained relatively flat at approximately 201 million tonnes (MT) during the April-December 2024 period, despite growing energy demands. This stability is attributed to a significant increase in domestic coal production, which reached 988.32 MT in the calendar year 2024, up 7.66% year-on-year. The government's 'Mission Coking Coal' initiative aims to further reduce import dependency by boosting domestic coking coal production to 140 MT by 2030. While thermal coal imports are expected to decline in 2025, coking coal imports for the steel industry may see a slight increase due to expanding blast furnace capacity.

 

Sources: Financial Express, PIB, Economic Times