Weak demand continued to persist in Indian Anthracite coal market.
While, import offers have remained stable.
Depressed demand for Anthracite coal has arisen mainly due alternate fuels becoming significantly cheaper. End-user industries have replaced Anthracite coal with cheaper available alternate fuels on cost considerations. Prices of alternate fuels such as Met coke and Pet coke alongwith other forms of coal, have receded remarkably during the preceding months, thus eroding demand for Anthracite coal.
According to a reputed importer, import offers have remained stable at USD 88-89/MT, CFR India.
While, an official of an Indian metallurgical company said, “Import of Anthracite coal was stopped due to ample availability of low priced alternate fuels.”
On the other side, imports have remained muted due to prevalence of low demand in the country. During Dec’15, only four importers had cumulatively imported 62,800 MT of Anthracite coal. Three of the importers were metallurgical companies.
A total of 439,700 MT of Anthracite coal was imported into the country in the first three quarters of the current fiscal, according to data available with SteelMint.
Anthracite coal import in FY16
| Month | Quantity (in MT) |
| Apr’15 | 100,250 |
| May’15 | 22,000 |
| Jun’15 | 33,000 |
| Jul’15 | 58,700 |
| Aug’15 | 43,200 |
| Sept’15 | 29,300 |
| Oct’15 | 8,500 |
| Nov’15 | 81,950 |
| Dec’15 | 62,800 |
| Total | 439,700 |
Source: SteelMint Research
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