India’s coal import may drop 11% to 186 MT in FY’23

The country imported 210 MT of coal in 2021-22

India's coal import is likely to decline by 11.4% to 186 million tonnes (MT) in the current financial year, even as the state-owned firm has issued import tenders to source the dry fuel from overseas.

Coal India Ltd., which accounts for more than 80% of domestic coal output, last week issued tenders to import coal in a bid to build up the stock of fossil fuel at the indigenous power plants, as mandated by the government.

The country imported 210 MT of coal in 2021-22.

According to the medium-term projections of the Ministry of Coal, of the 186 MT of coal that the company is expected to import in the ongoing fiscal, 130 MT is non-coking coal and 56 MT is coking coal.

Non-coking coal is mainly used as thermal coal for power generation.

India is likely to import 172 MT of coal in 2024-25, 173 MT in 2027-28, and 170 MT in 2029-30.

The country imported 215 MT of coal in FY'21 and 249 MT of coal in FY'20, the Coal Ministry said.