Thermal coal imports increase 14% in Q2, India on track for import rise

The strong purchases take India's first-half imports to 81.9 million tonnes, up 13 percent from the 72.3 million tonnes imported over the same period in 2017

India's thermal coal imports rose by more than 14 per cent in the second quarter of 2018 from a year earlier, putting the energy-hungry nation on track for a rise in annual imports after two straight years of decline.

Indian imports rose to 43.4 million tonnes during the three months ended June 30, up from 37.9 million a year ago, according to data from American Fuels & Natural Resources, a Dubai-based trader of coal from the United States which tracks shipments around the region.

That is India's highest quarterly import tally in two years, which along with higher consumption in China has