Thermal and coking coal imports to India jumped over 73 percent to 10.6 million tonnes in October from a year ago, provisional figures provided by two government sources showed, as thermal coal shipments more than doubled.
Thermal coal imports were 8.2 million tonnes in October, up from 3.8 million tonnes a year ago as domestic supply was much less than demand,
India imported 72.3 million tonnes of thermal and coking coal during April-October, up 38.6 percent from a year earlier.
Thermal or steam coal, the fuel mainly used by power producers, accounted for nearly 70 percent of the coal shipments in the first seven months of the 2012/13 fiscal year.
The coal ministry expects India to produce 574.40 million tonnes of coal in 2012/13, 6.4 percent more from a year earlier.
But the shortfall between India's domestic coal supply and demand will be around 192 million tonnes in the fiscal year to March 2013, according to the coal ministry.
India is seen importing 100 million tonnes of thermal coal alone in this fiscal year, suppliers and end-users have said.
Source-Reuters
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