CHENNAI : India’s imports of thermal coal fell by 41.5% to 32.9 million tonnes during the quarter ended June 30, government data showed, as coronavirus lockdowns battered power demand.
India’s electricity demand is expected to fall for the first time in four decades in the ongoing fiscal year, which ends in March 2021.
Imports by utilities, which account for over three-fourths of India’s coal use, fell 41%, the government data showed, as coal’s share in overall power generation dropped to as low as 60% during the quarter, compared with 2019 average of nearly 70%.
Thermal coal imports by the “non-regulated” sector, which includes cement producers and the metals industry fell 41.7%, the coal ministry data showed.
