Indian thermal imports increase in preparation for maximum summer demand, reaching a maximum of 10 months in March 2025. Photo credit: Getty Images
India thermal imports rose to a maximum of 10 months in March 2025 with the electricity sector that stores supplies for the summer season of a great demand for electricity (day) that already reaches more than 230 gigawatts (GW).
The compliance with the global data supplier and Kpler real -time analysis analysis, the purchases of foreign thermal coal of India, generally acquired by the electricity sector, increased by 10 percent of the month to 14.16 million tons (MT) provisionally. However, imports decreased by more than 2 percent annually.
The highest import requirement is also reflected in the government’s direction to imported carbon power plants (ICB) to execute capabilities at optimal levels until the end of this month.
The mandate will extend again to cover at least two months of the Maximum Summer Energy Demand season: May and June. This is likely to drive carbon imports onwards.
Summer fever
Alexis Egger, Senior Lead Bulks Dry Bulks Insight in Kpler, said Businessline, “Indian coal imports (thermal and metallurgical) rose to a maximum of eight months of 20.09 TM in March in preparation for the hot weather season and greater availability of supply supported the high trade. We expect more strong imports.”
With 14.16 TM, imports of thermal coal reached a maximum of 10 months in March as the volumes of Indonesia increased; However, they were still going down by 0.31 Mt Yoy. This decrease occurred despite an extension to an import mandate of the government to boost coal generation, he added.
India enters the hot season well prepared with carbon stocks in electric plants 14 % higher and 60 percent higher than in 2023, he said.
“The high stock batteries are now acting as a brake growth in demand in imported and thermal coal. However, we hope that shipments remain firm in April before climbing in May as the warm weather spurs demand,” Ellender explained.
As on March 31, thermal energy plants had 58 mt or carbon stocks, compared to 51 TM last year. The inventory improved 20 days to March 31, compared to 18 days in March 2024 and 19 days in February 2025, Crisil Intelligence said.
The production and shipment of coal from India exceeded one billion tons (BT) in fiscal year 2015. Production increased by 4.99 percent year -on -year to 1,047.57 TM, provisionally. The coal office increased by 5.34 percent year -on -year to 1,024.99 mt.
Consistently, imports fell by 8.4 percent year -on -year to 183.42 Tm at 9 m of fiscal year 2015, saving $ 5.43 billion, or approximately ₹ 42,315.7 million rupees, in foreign exchange.
Growing demand for energy
With the meteorologist projecting a probability of 50 percent of temperatures above the duration of the normal temperatures of April-June of 2025, the demand for energy of India is expected to grow at 6.5-7.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, anticipates the chry intelligence.
The energy demand increased in March 2025 as Mercury rose and the demand for industrial and commercial consumers shot. The highest cooling requirements brought the maximum energy demand to 235 GW, an addition of 14 GW of the previous fiscal year, he said.
As a result, the energy demand increased to 6.9 percent with the year, around 50 percent more than the average of the whole year (FY25) or 4.3 percent. In the western region, the demand for energy grew around 10 percent with the year, since several regions in Gujarat witnessed six days of heat waves, he added.
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Posted on April 13, 2025