Coal imports fall 8.5% in February on high domestic stockpiles

India’s coal imports declined 8.5 per cent to 16.55 million tonnes in February, as record domestic stockpiles and firm global prices reduced reliance on overseas supplies, according to data compiled by mjunction services, reported PTI. The country’s coal imports are expected to remain subdued in the near term, with domestic miners stepping up efforts to liquidate accumulated inventories. "A record high stockpile of domestic coal and firm seaborne prices resulted in a drop in thermal coal imports. With the domestic miners endeavouring to liquidate stocks, the weak trend in imports is expected to continue during the current month," mjunction MD & CEO Vinaya Varma said.Coal imports had stood at 18.10 million tonnes in February 2024-25, while on a month-on-month basis, imports remained largely flat compared with 16.64 million tonnes in January 2026.Of the total imports in February, non-coking coal shipments fell to 9.80 million tonnes from 11.08 million tonnes a year ago. In contrast, coking coal imports rose to 3.92 million tonnes from 3.79 million tonnes in the same period.During April-February 2025-26, non-coking coal imports stood at 137.60 million tonnes, lower than 152.26 million tonnes in the corresponding period of 2024-25. However, coking coal imports increased to 54.31 million tonnes from 49.62 million tonnes.The decline in imports comes amid a broader push to strengthen domestic coal production under the government’s self-reliance initiative.India’s total coal output rose to 1,047.523 million tonnes in 2024-25 from 997.826 million tonnes in the previous year, registering a growth of about 4.98 per cent.Coal inventories at thermal power plants remained comfortable at around 55 million tonnes as of Tuesday, sufficient for about 24 days of uninterrupted power generation based on average consumption over the past week, a senior coal ministry official said.The stock position indicates "absolute no deficit" on the power generation side, coal Joint Secretary Sanjeev Kumar Kassi said, addressing concerns over potential shortages amid rising summer demand."Coal stock at the power plants is around 55 million tonnes as of yesterday (Tuesday), adequate for 24 days of uninterrupted power generation based on the average consumption of the last seven days. So we have absolutely no deficit at the power generation side," he said at an inter-ministerial briefing on developments in West Asia.The official added that domestic coal production is currently matching consumption levels.