India thermal coal imports fall at fastest pace in 15 months

India's imports of thermal coal plunged by about a third on an annual basis in October, according to data analytics firms Bigmint and Kpler, due to slowing power generation and higher clean energy output. "Despite low industrial activity, traders have bought a high amount of coal into India," said Vasudev Pamnani, director at Indian coal trading firm I-energy Natural Resources Ltd, adding that thermal coal imports for the year 2024 are expected to be flat at about 176 million tonnes. Indian shipments of the fuel used mainly for power generation have been tracking the trajectory of growth in shipments by top importer China over the last year, shoring up international prices.