- Exports to India fall by 41% m-o-m
- Prices for RB3 coal drop INR 166/t m-o-m
South African thermal coal exports experienced a significant decline in February 2025, totalling 4.50 million tonnes (mnt), a 24% drop compared to 5.94 mnt in January. This marks a 13% year-on-year (y-o-y) decrease from 5.16 mnt in February 2024. Monthly export volumes have fallen to the lowest since July’24, as per data maintained with BigMint. For the first two months of the calendar year, total exports reached 63.26 mnt.
Country-wise export trends
Analysing the export patterns by country, February saw a steep 41% month-on-month (m-o-m) decline in imports to India, dropping from 2.69 mnt in January to just 1.58 mnt in February. In contrast, the Netherlands experienced a 20% m-o-m rise in imports, which increased to 0.36 mnt from 0.3 mnt in January.
Pakistan’s imports surged dramatically, with a 95% m-o-m increase to 0.33 mnt in February compared to 0.17 mnt in January. On the other hand, South Korea saw a 20% drop in imports, which fell from 0.4 mnt in January to 0.32 mnt in February, while Japan’s imports plummeted 64% from 0.62 mnt in January to just 0.22 mnt in February.
Market insights
Domestically, prices for RB3 (4800 NAR) thermal coal at the ex-Gangavaram port dropped significantly. In February, the indexed prices stood at INR 7,207/t, down by INR 166/t from INR 7,373/t in January. Similarly, CNF Gangavaram prices for the same grade fell by $2, from $74/t in January to $72/t in February. Increased domestic coal availability in recent auctions conducted by CIL subsidiaries and the decline in domestic prices have kept imported coal prices under pressure.
Article from Bigmint
