India’s petcoke imports seen doubling amid soaring global coal prices
India’s imports of petcoke are expected to more than double this year, industry officials say, as competitive prices are driving cement makers to switch to the fuel as an alternative to coal.
A tonne of petcoke, a refinery byproduct, is more expensive than coal, but produces more energy when burnt. It is generally not used as fuel because of toxic emissions, but is widely used by the cement industry – its largest consumer, as sulphur dioxide emissions are absorbed by limestone.
Global coal prices are near record highs due to fears of a supply crunch following the European Commission’s decision to ban coal imports from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
