India's January 2025 coal imports have picked up slightly, maintaining current trends within India's energy market. The increase in imports hasn't changed the overall demand for imported coal, which is still subdued because of adequate domestic stock.
Key Points:
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Increase in Imports: Coal imports picked up marginally by 1.23% to 21.37 MT in January 2025, from 21.11 MT in January 2024.
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Non-Coking Coal: Imports of non-coking coal were 12.33 MT, lower compared to 13.40 MT in the year ago period, reflecting a slide in demand for this category of coal.
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Coking Coal: Coking coal imports rose to 5.23 MT from 4.50 MT during January 2024.
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Cumulative Imports: Total coal imports during April-Janaury FY25 were practically unchanged at 222.67 MT.
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Production Growth: Coal production in the same period grew by 5.88% to 830.66 MT, from 784.51 MT in the last year.
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Market Demand: Demand for imported coal is muted due to sufficient domestic supplies and cheaper seaborne prices, with weak trends expected to persist until summer.
These observations are a reflection of the prevailing situation in India's coal import and production sector, pointing out challenges and areas of growth in the industry.
Sources: Daily Excelsior Business Standard The Economic Times