Ministry of Coal reports a 5.83 per cent fall in coal imports for August

1 November 2026

The Ministry of Coal has reported that India's coal imports fell by 5.83 per cent in August 2026. Total imports came down to 104.57 MT from 111.05 MT a year earlier, a reduction of 6.48 MT. Imports for the power sector fell 6.39 per cent to 21.32 MT. Coal imported for blending at domestic coal-based plants dropped sharply by 35.23 per cent to 3.00 MT, while imports for imported coal-based plants rose slightly by 0.98 per cent to 18.31 MT. Coking coal imports, used mainly in steel making, fell 4.18 per cent to 27.30 MT. The imported share of total coal consumption came down from 21.20 per cent to 19.30 per cent. The Ministry links the trend to work on First Mile Connectivity, evacuation infrastructure and stock monitoring at thermal plants, done with the Ministry of Railways and Coal India Limited.