New Delhi [India], January 14: India has successfully reduced its coal imports by 3.1% during the first seven months of the fiscal year 2024-25 (April-October), reflecting the country’s ongoing push for energy security and reduced reliance on external coal supplies.
According to the Ministry of Coal, coal imports during this period totaled 149.39 million tonnes (MT), down from 154.17 MT in the same period last year. This decline is seen as a major step towards achieving greater self-sufficiency in coal production, particularly given the demand for coking coal and high-grade thermal coal, which remain scarce domestically.
Despite the decrease in imports, coal-based power generation in India grew by 3.87% between April and October 2024, highlighting continued demand for energy. Notably, imports for blending by thermal power plants saw a sharp reduction of 19.5%, signaling the success of India’s efforts to boost domestic coal production.
However, coal imports for the power sector, especially for imported coal-based power plants, increased by 38.4%, rising to 30.04 MT from 21.71 MT last year, as these plants are entirely reliant on imported coal. Meanwhile, the non-regulated sector (excluding power plants) experienced an 8.8% year-on-year decline in imports, reflecting India’s efforts to optimize coal usage across various industries.
On the production front, India’s coal output grew by 6.04% to reach 537.57 MT in the April-October 2024 period, up from 506.93 MT in the same timeframe the previous year. This increase highlights the success of government initiatives aimed at ramping up domestic coal production to meet the country’s growing energy needs.
The Ministry of Coal is focused on further enhancing domestic production capabilities with strategic measures in place to ensure a more stable coal supply and reduce dependency on imports in the future.