Indian power utilities imported 2.98 million tonnes of thermal coal in March 2026, down 41.91% year on year and 8.73% month on month, marking the second consecutive monthly sequential decline, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

Of the total, 2.83 million tonnes were supplied to plants that use imported coal directly for power generation, down 36.15% year on year but up 3.07% month on month. Only 152,900 tonnes were used for blending with domestic coal, plunging 78.24% year on year and 70.72% month on month, accounting for just 5.13% of total coal imports.

Among utilities blending imported coal with domestic coal, two state-owned power companies imported 96,400 tonnes, while one private firm imported 56,500 tonnes. For plants using imported coal directly, one state-owned utility imported 24,100 tonnes, while 14 private power producers imported 2.80 million tonnes.

The Adani Group's Mundra power plant recorded the highest imports among utilities in March at 1.29 million tonnes, followed by the ITPCL plant owned by Tamil Nadu's IL&FS company with 304,100 tonnes.

For the 2025-26 fiscal year (April 2025 to March 2026), Indian power utilities imported a total of 45.38 million tonnes of coal, down 27.5% from 62.57 million tonnes in the 2024-25 fiscal year, CEA data showed.