Hanoi — Thailand imported 2.32 million mt of coal in April, up 21.5% year onyear, with sharp increases in anthracite coal and other coal, according tolatest data released by the customs department. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Of the total, the country imported 921,884 mt of bituminous coal in themonth, down 8.3% year on year. The coal was largely from Australia, with422,503 mt, up 41.4%, followed by Indonesia with 371,670 mt, 41.7% lower. The import of other coal spiked 73.7% year on year to 1.38 million mt inApril, with the coal mostly from Indonesia at 1.32 million mt, up 79.3%. Thailand imported 26,393 mt of anthracite coal in the month, up 67.1%year on year, mostly from Vietnam. In the first four months of the year, Thailand imported 7.8 million mt ofcoal, up 4.2% year on year. It was mainly bituminous coal, at 2.67 million mt,down 31.2%, while other coal totaled 5.06 million mt, up 43.2%. Indonesia andAustralia remained key suppliers of coal to Thailand in the period. Meanwhile, Thailand produced 3.56 million mt of lignite in the firstthree months, down 10.5% year on year, according to data released May 12 bythe Energy Policy and Planning Office. The country consumed a combined 9.54 million mt of coal and lignite overJanuary-March, down 0.5% year on year. Of the total, coal-fired power plantsconsumed 5.69 million mt, down 1.3% year on year, with the rest being consumedby other industrial users. Data on production and consumption for April and the first four months isscheduled to be released next month. --Staff, newsdesk@spglobal.com --Edited by Geetha Narayanasamy, geetha.narayanasamy@spglobal.com
Thailand's total coal imports in April grew 21.5% YoY to 2.32 million mt, with anthracite and other coal experiencing the sharpest increases, according to data from the customs department. Anthracite coal saw a 67.1% increase at 26,393 mt, with most shipments coming from Vietnam, while the import of other coal jumped 73.7% to 1.38 million mt, mostly coming from Indonesia. The government has been trying to reduce its dependence on imported coal, which accounts for about half of all energy consumption in Thailand.