Chinese coal imports surged in September to the highest level in nine months and the highest for 2025 amid falling output and rising prices within China, official data showed on Monday.
The world’s top coal consumer, China, imported 46 million tons of coal in September, the highest level so far this year, according to figures by the General Administration of Customs cited by Reuters.
The imports in September were below last year’s level for the same month, when shipments into China soared amid plunging international coal prices.
Chinese coal production has declined in recent weeks amid government measures to curb oversupply and support coal prices.
Earlier this year, China reportedly asked its coal-fired power plants to boost stockpiles with domestic supply as authorities aimed to push up local demand and prices.
Domestic coal prices have firmed up in the second half of the year, prompting increased imports.
After months of declining coal imports earlier this year, with July arrivals down by 23% from a year earlier, China’s coal imports strengthened in August and were set to remain at high levels in September, too.
Related: Oil Prices Rebound After a Sharp Selloff
A drop in domestic production and soaring demand for power generation during the heat waves in August also contributed to the high imports of coal into China in September.
“The rapid rebound in domestic prices in the second half of the year has further widened the price gap between domestic and imported coal, making imported coal more competitive,” Feng Dongbin, vice general manager at consultancy Fenwei Digital Information Technology, told Reuters.
Amid oversupply, China was cutting imports and growing coal exports for most months until July.
But now imports have rebounded, and the market waits to see if the rebound will be just a blip during the summer power generation or a sustained recovery as Chinese authorities clamp down on excess capacity and oversupply in key industries.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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