Thermal Coal Imports Surge 19% In Major Indian Ports In The First Quarter

India's top 12 major ports reported a 19.32 percent surge in imports of thermal coal to 28.28 million tonnes during April-June this year, according to the latest report from Indian Ports Association.

The centre-owned ports had handled 23.70 million tonnes of thermal coal in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

The IPA, which maintains cargo data handled by these 12 ports, in its recent report has said that the ‘percentage variation from previous year' in thermal coal handling was at 19.32 percent in the first three months of the current fiscal. As far as coking and other coal is concerned, its handling recorded a jump of 6.85 percent during the first quarter to 13.03 MT.

Thermal coal is the mainstay of India's energy programme as 70 percent of power generation is dependent on the dry fuel, while coking coal is used mainly for steel-making.

India is the third-largest producer of coal after China and the U.S. and has 299 billion tonnes of resources and 123 billion tonnes of proven reserves, which may last for over 100 years.

Major ports in India together recorded a growth of 3.91 percent and handled 174.02 MT of cargo during the period April to June 2018, as against 167.48 MT handled during the corresponding period of the previous year.

In the April-June period, nine ports - Kolkata (including Haldia), Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Kamarajar, Chennai, Cochin, New Mangalore, JNPT and Deendayal (Kandla) Port had registered positive growth in traffic.

India has 12 major ports — Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) which handle approximately 61 percent of the country's total cargo traffic.