India’s Coal imports rise marginally by 0.9% in April-July FY25

India’s coal imports saw a slight increase of 0.9% during the April-July period of FY25, reaching 90.51 million tonnes (MT), up from 89.68 MT in the same period last year, according to a statement by the Ministry of Coal.
Despite the country’s vast coal reserves, the surge in demand, particularly for coking coal and high-grade thermal coal not readily available domestically, necessitates continued imports to support key industries like steel. During this period, coal production also grew by 9.56%, reaching 321.40 MT, up from 293.35 MT in FY24.
While non-coking coal imports increased by 2%, coking coal imports saw a decline of 2.6%. Notably, coal imports for blending purposes fell by 8.2%, despite a 10.18% year-on-year increase in coal-based power generation. The non-regulated sector also witnessed an 11% drop in imports to 44.97 MT from 50.53 MT the previous year.