- Imports rise in Aug as bituminous coal receipts surge 32% m-o-m
- Dip in Taiwan’s Jan-Aug imports contrasts with 16% surge in South Korean volumes
Taiwan’s coal imports rebounded strongly in August 2026, driven by a sharp increase in bituminous coal arrivals, although cumulative imports during the first eight months of the year remained marginally below year-ago levels.
Total coal imports reached 4.97 mnt in August, up 16.6% m-o-m from 4.26 mnt in July. However, imports during January-August 2026 stood at 35.04 mnt, down 1.9% y-o-y, or around 0.67 mnt, from 35.71 mnt in the corresponding period last year.
Unlike South Korea, where cumulative coal imports have risen strongly this year, Taiwan’s overall import requirement therefore appears relatively stable.
Bituminous coal drives Aug’26 rebound
Bituminous coal imports jumped to 4.28 mnt in August, up 32.3% m-o-m from 3.24 mnt in July.
The August increase of around 1.05 mnt in bituminous receipts more than accounted for the 0.71 mnt increase in total coal imports, offsetting a substantial decline in the “Others” category.
Bituminous coal represented around 86% of Taiwan’s total coal imports in August and approximately 85% during January-August.
More importantly, cumulative bituminous imports increased to 29.64 mnt, up 1.7% from 29.13 mnt last year.
This suggests demand for Taiwan’s principal imported coal category has remained resilient even as aggregate coal imports declined.
Changing mix masks stable bituminous demand
The cumulative decline in total coal imports has instead been driven largely by the “Others” category.
Imports classified as Others fell 34.1% m-o-m to 658,960 t in August, while January-August volumes dropped 19.6% y-o-y to 5.17 mnt from 6.43 mnt.
That represents a reduction of around 1.26 mnt, considerably larger than the 0.67 mnt decline in Taiwan’s total coal imports. The decline has been partly offset by an additional 503,000 t of bituminous coal and higher pet coke imports.
Pet coke volumes have risen more than fourfold y-o-y to around 142,000 t, although they remain too small to materially alter Taiwan’s overall coal balance.
Iron ore points to stronger steel raw material flows
The accompanying iron ore data provide another interesting signal.
Taiwan imported 2.00 mnt of iron ore in August, up 12.5% m-o-m. January-August imports reached 13.95 mnt, up a sizeable 14.7% y-o-y.
Fines and lumps accounted for virtually all of the increase, rising 15.7% y-o-y to 13.50 mnt, while pellet and concentrate imports declined 9.1%.
The divergence between rising iron ore imports and broadly stable coal imports suggests that Taiwan’s stronger steel raw-material requirement has not translated proportionately into higher aggregate coal purchases.
BigMint assessment
Taiwan’s August numbers point to a sharp near-term rebound in coal buying rather than a broader expansion in its 2026 import requirement.
Average imports during January-August were around 4.38 mnt/month, making August’s 4.97 mnt approximately 13% above the year-to-date monthly average.
The more significant underlying development is the resilience of bituminous coal. While total January-August coal imports are down 1.9%, bituminous volumes are up 1.7%, with weakness concentrated in other coal categories.
This contrasts sharply with South Korea, where January-August coal imports have increased almost 16% y-o-y.
Taken together, the two Northeast Asian markets therefore present a mixed picture: South Korea is providing substantial incremental seaborne demand in 2026, while Taiwan is broadly maintaining last year’s import requirement but with a stronger tilt towards bituminous coal.
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