India's coal imports jumped by 13.54% to 22.05 million tons (MT) in September, owing to the increased demand for the dry fuel ahead of the festive season.

The figure is a notable rise from last year's September when India imported 19.42 MT of coal during the same month of the previous financial year (FY)

Breakdown of coal imports: Non-coking and coking coal

The data shows that non-coking coal imports stood at 13.90 MT in September, a slight increase from last year's 13.24 MT.

Likewise, coking coal imports, which are crucial for the steel sector, also saw an increase to 4.50 MT this year from last year's 3.39 MT during the same period.

April-September 2025 coal import trends

For the April-September 2025 period, non-coking coal imports fell to 86.06 MT from last year's 91.92 MT in the same period.

However, coking coal imports increased to 31.54 MT this year from last year's figure of 28.18 MT during the same time frame.

The data was compiled by mjunction services, a B2B e-commerce platform and a joint venture between Tata Steel and SAIL.

Future trends in coal imports

Vinaya Varma, MD & CEO of mjunction, said there was an increase in volumes as buyers took fresh positions ahead of the festive season.

He also predicted that winter restocking demand from steel mills would drive coking coal imports going forward.

Sector experts believe that strong demand for metallurgical and industrial coal, especially from steel mills, will outweigh seasonal weakness in power sector procurement this year.

India's coal import dependency and self-sufficiency efforts

India is actively working to reduce its reliance on coal imports by ramping up domestic coal production through various government initiatives.

However, the country still depends on imports for certain requirements, especially high-grade thermal and coking coal that are critical for steel industries and are not sufficiently available in the country.

The overall trend indicates a continued focus on self-sufficiency and reduced import dependence for energy security and economic resilience.