Russian suppliers are increasing coal exports to India this year, in an attempt to offset reduced deliveries to China, where demand has dropped. Lower freight rates are allowing Russian suppliers to compete more effectively with their counterparts in South Africa, Australia, Indonesia and other countries.

India more than doubled imports from Russia in the first quarter — to 942,000t, up from 423,000t a year earlier. Thermal coal accounted for most of the Russian supply, at 710,000t, while the remainder was anthracite. Anthracite made up over half of Russian coal exports to India last year. Russian suppliers boosted shipments of thermal coal to India from around 199,000t in January-March last year, while anthracite deliveries inched up by just 8,000t to 232,000t.

Russia is a minor thermal coal supplier to India, but it is the country’s main source of anthracite. It delivered 95pc of India’s total anthracite imports in the first quarter.

The Novosibirsk region-based Siberian Anthracite supplies Russian anthracite to India. The company delivers to Indian metallurgical plants ultra high-grade anthracite of 0–13mm, with up to 12pc ash content, up to 0.3pc sulphur content, and high-carbon value of 97pc. Last year, the company exported over 1mn t of coal to India, and this year it plans to increase supplies by a third.

Материал предоставлен международным ценовым агентством Argus Media