India’s coal imports dropped by 3.1% during the April-October period of FY 2024-25, falling to 149.39 million tonnes (MT) from 154.17 MT in the same period last year, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Coal on Thursday.
The non-regulated sector (excluding power) saw an even sharper decline in imports, registering an 8.8% decrease during the same period.
Despite a 3.87% growth in coal-based power generation between April and October 2024 compared to the previous year, imports for blending purposes by thermal power plants saw a significant reduction of 19.5%. This decline reflects India’s ongoing efforts to increase self-reliance in coal production, the ministry noted.
However, coal imports for imported coal-based power plants surged by 38.4%, rising to 30.04 MT from 21.71 MT during the same period last year.
On the domestic front, coal production showed strong growth, increasing to 537.57 MT during April-October 2024, up 6.04% from 506.93 MT in the corresponding period of FY 2023-24. The ministry highlighted this rise as a sign of the government’s commitment to boosting domestic coal output and reducing reliance on imports.
