India's coal imports declined by nearly 13 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, reaching 21.13 million tonnes (MT) compared to 24.27 MT in the same month last year, the Ministry of Coal announced on Thursday. The sharp reduction, amounting to a 12.95 per cent drop, was primarily driven by a significant decrease in imports by the power sector, reflecting higher domestic coal availability and the government's ongoing push for import substitution.
Power sector leads decline in coal imports
Imports by power plants recorded the steepest fall, dropping 24.89 per cent to 3.51 MT from 4.67 MT a year earlier. According to the ministry, this decline was "driven by improved domestic linkage supplies and reduced dependence on imported coal for blending." The ministry attributed the overall reduction to sustained efforts to ramp up domestic coal production and enhance supply management.
Coal imports by Imported Coal-Based (ICB) power plants fell 27.45 per cent to 2.88 MT from 3.97 MT, marking the sharpest decline among all categories tracked. Meanwhile, imports by Domestic Coal-Based (DCB) plants for blending purposes declined 11.26 per cent to 0.63 MT from 0.71 MT. The ministry said this "underscores the success of efforts to ramp up assured domestic supply and reduce reliance on the blending mandate."
Import share falls as domestic output rises
Coal imports as a share of total coal consumption also fell from 21.69 per cent in April 2025 to 19.68 per cent in April 2026, a decline of over 2 percentage points. The ministry highlighted that the consistent decline across ICB, DCB, and overall import categories reflects its sustained focus on ramping up domestic coal production and offtake, strengthening First Mile Connectivity, close monitoring of thermal power plant stock positions, and coordinated efforts with the Ministry of Railways, Coal India Limited (CIL), and its subsidiaries to ensure assured supply to power utilities.
Coking coal imports remain stable
However, coking coal imports, used mainly by the steel industry, remained largely stable. They rose marginally by 1.34 per cent to 6.01 MT from 5.93 MT a year ago. The ministry said the increase was "consistent with continued growth in domestic steel production" and reflected the fact that coking coal imports are "driven by resource-specific requirements rather than availability gaps."
The Coal Ministry stated that the government remains committed to further strengthening domestic coal production, evacuation infrastructure, and quality-based grading to sustain the trend of lower import dependence in the coming months.
