After witnessing a surge towards the end of CY19 amid restrictions on lignite’s domestic usage, Turkish imports have receded in the first quarter of CY20.
According to the customs data, country’s coal imports have decreased by 16% to 11.01 MnT in Q1 CY20 against 13.03 MnT in Q4 CY19. However, it jumped by 12% Y-o-Y due to increased intake of non-coking coal.
A grade-wise break up shows that non-coking coal imports have come down by 21% Q-o-Q to 8.36 MnT in Q1 CY20, but surged by 18% Y-o-Y from 7.06 MnT in Q1 CY19. No major improvement was seen in imports of other coal sub-types except pet coke, which increased by 65% Q-o-Q to 1.04 MnT in Q1 CY20.
| Grade | Q1 CY20 | Q4 CY19 | % Change |
| Non-Coking Coal | 8.36 | 10.55 | -21% |
| Coking Coal | 1.29 | 1.44 | -10% |
| Pet Coke | 1.04 | 0.63 | 65% |
| Anthracite | 0.18 | 0.22 | -18% |
| Met Coke | 0.15 | 0.19 | -21% |
| Total | 11.01 | 13.03 | -16% |
Quantity in MnT
Major Coal Exporters
Decline in Turkey’s quarterly coal volumes can be attributed to the reduced bookings from major suppliers, despite the significant growth seen from US and Canada.
In the total import volumes, Turkey’s chief coal exporter-Colombia supplied 5.4 MnT, which was down by 11% Q-o-Q, but had increased 36% Y-o-Y in Q1 CY20.
Coal receipt from Russia also increased by 9% Y-o-Y to 3.3 MnT in Q1 CY20, but was 1.32 MnT lesser than the quantity procured in the previous quarter.
A steady rise was noted from the US, who was the third-largest exporter to Turkey in Q1 CY20. Coal supplied by the country surged 73% Y-o-Y to 1.44 MnT, which was also 66% more than the volume noted in Q4 CY19.
With the anticipated fall in electricity demand during lock-down, Turkey’s coal imports are likely to fall in the second quarter as well.
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