India's coal imports decline 5.83%

New Delhi India's coal imports declined 5.83 per cent year-on-year to 104.57 million tonnes (MT) in August 2026, compared to 111.05 MT in the corresponding month last year, reflecting improved domestic availability and efforts to reduce dependence on overseas supplies, the Ministry of Coal said on Sunday. The country's coal imports fell by 6.48 MT during the month as the government continued initiatives to strengthen domestic production, improve supply chains and ensure adequate availability for key sectors. Imports by power plants declined 6.39% to 21.32 MT in August 2026, against 22.77 MT in August 2025. The reduction was in line with efforts to improve domestic coal availability and reduce dependence on imported coal for blending at domestic coal-based power plants. Imports specifically meant for blending witnessed a sharper decline of 35.23%, falling to 3 MT from 4.64 MT in the year-ago period. However, imports by imported coal-based power plants increased marginally by 0.98% to 18.31 MT, compared to 18.13 MT in August 2025. These plants are primarily designed to operate using imported coal. The share of imported coal in India's total consumption also declined to 19.30 per cent from 21.20% a year earlier, registering a reduction of 1.90 percentage points. Coking coal imports, which primarily cater to the steel industry's raw material requirements, fell 4.18% to 27.30 MT from 28.49 MT during the corresponding period last year. However, the ministry noted that imports remain necessary because domestic coking coal reserves have limitations in terms of quality and characteristics. The government is continuing efforts to increase domestic coal production and offtake, strengthen First Mile Connectivity, improve transportation and evacuation infrastructure, and monitor stocks at thermal power plants. BOX