China's thermal coal imports in May spiked to the highest since January 2021, the latest customs data showed.
China imported 31.83 million tonnes of thermal coal (including non-coking bituminous coal, sub-bituminous coal and lignite) last month, surging 108.11% from May 2022, customs data showed. This was also 1.3% higher the month-ago level.
The imports were valued at $3.14 billion, up 63.71% year on year and 2.1% month on month. The average import price was calculated at $99.89/t, falling 21.33% year on year yet edging up 0.79% month on month.
Total thermal coal imports reached 137 million tonnes from January to May, soaring 91.24% year on year, with value up 62.1% to $14.18 billion.
Lignite imports in May rose 39.43% on the year to 13.93 million tonnes, despite a 9.52% fall from the previous month. Value of the imports amounted to $1.07 billion, down 2.24% year on year and 9.48% month on month. The average lignite import price was calculated at $77/t in the month, down 29.89% year on year but ticking up 0.05%
Lignite imports in the first five months totaled 71.22 million tonnes, up 70.92% on the year; value of the imports rose 37.59% year on year to $5.73 billion.
(Writing by Rebecca Liu Editing by Harry Huo)
For any questions, please contact us by inquiry@fwenergy.com or +86-351-7219322.