Chinese Coal Imports by Source

Coal

Chinese steam coal imports (including lignite and anthracite) from Russia and Indonesia have grown sharply amid a continued lack of cargoes from Australia, with volumes in March more than doubling from a year earlier, data from IHS showed.

In March, China imported 44.8 Mt of steam coal versus 22.1 Mt a year earlier. Indonesia supplied 32.7 Mt compared with 13.6 Mt in the same month last year, while imports from Russia jumped sharply from 2.1 Mt to 7.8 Mt.

Indonesia was the largest supplier of Chinese steam coal imports in January-March at 89.3 Mt, with Russia in second place on 17.4 Mt.

This compares with 47 Mt and 6.9 Mt respectively a year earlier, with Australia then China’s second largest steam coal supplier on 16.9 Mt for the 1q 2020.