China’s coal imports from Indonesia surge, Australia slips

02 January 2017

Chinese imports of coal from Indonesia surged 160 percent in November from a year earlier, in line with rising shipments to meet a domestic shortfall, but imports from Australia dipped 10 percent. Imports from Indonesia jumped to 5.15 million tonnes, still slightly below the 5.6 million tonnes shipped in from Austrlaia, customs data showed.

Imports from Indonesia are up nearly 37 percent so far this year, while shipments from Australia are down 2.1 percent. Coal imports by utilities and steel mills have jumped sharply after China moved to tackle a glut and cut dependence on fossil fuels to help combat pollution. Beijing has since taken steps to help domestic producers ramp up supply, but monthly output in November was still below last year’s level.

Imports of North Korean anthracite jumped 37.5 percent in November from a year earlier to 1.91 million tonnes, the figures showed. China’s Commerce Ministry said earlier this month it will put a temporary ban on imports of North Korean coal. Imports from Mongolia, a major exporter of coking coal used in steelmaking, rose 186 percent on a year earlier to 3.36 million tonnes. The figure was also well above October’s 2.31 million tonnes.

Coal imports from Russia were also up strongly in November on a year earlier, jumping 84 percent to 1.7 million tonnes, while year-to-date imports were up 14 percent.

Source – Reuters