Page 7 - AfrElec Week 24 2022

AfrElec COAL AfrElec

SA coal exports to Europe in

January-May 40% higher than in

whole of 2021

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa’s coal exports to European coun- Japan, a non-EU country which has also said
tries in the first five months of 2022 were 40% it would ban Russian coal imports, received
higher than in the whole of 2021, according to 388,249 tonnes from RBCT between January
Reuters. and May, nearly double last year’s total.
Citing data from the country’s Richards Bay China, the third biggest importer of coal
Coal Terminal (RBCT), the global news agency from RBCT in 2021 with 6.09mn tonnes, did not
reported on Wednesday (June 15) that South receive any coal from the terminal this year, the
Africa had exported 22mn tonnes of coal in Jan- figures indicate.
uary-May 2022. Of that amount, 3.2mn tonnes Instead of taking South African deliveries,
– or 15% of RBCT’s overall exports – had gone Beijing seems to have been relying on Russia.
to Europe, compared with 2.3mn tonnes (4%) in According to CNN, which cited business data
all of 2021. provider Refinitiv on May 20, Chinese imports
From the second week of August, the Euro- of the fuel from Russia nearly doubled between
pean Union (EU) will stop importing coal from March and April, reaching 4.42mn tonnes.
Russia, as part of the bloc’s package of sanctions The growing EU appetite for South African
against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine on coal comes despite the challenges that RBCT and
February 24. national logistics agency Transnet are facing in
The Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, Den- moving bulk cargoes.
mark, Poland, Germany, and Ukraine have The Mineral Council of South Africa said in
received coal from RBCT so far this year. Some a June 10 press release that these problems could
of them only began importing from RBCT after hamper the industry’s potential to capitalise on
Russia invaded Ukraine. the EU’s shift away from imports of Russian
The Netherlands received no coal from RBCT commodities.
in January or February, but imported 1.27mn Thermal coal export tonnages were 8%
tonnes from the terminal in March, April and higher between January and April 2022 than the
May, with volumes increasing each month. It same period in 2021.
was the fourth biggest recipient of RBCT coal, “The rail and port logistics bottlenecks are
accounting for 5.76% of total volumes. having a big impact on South Africa’s mineral
Comparing January-May 2022 with the exports,” said Henk Langenhoven, the Council’s
whole of 2021, France’s coal imports from RBCT chief economist.
rose almost seven-fold, from just 68,005 tonnes “This worrying trend, which shows no signs
to 464,432 tonnes. of slowing or reversing, underscores the urgency
Spain, Poland and Germany did not import for high-level intervention on the rail network
any coal from RBCT last year. However, over and our ports to stabilise them, return them to
the first five months of this year, Spain imported productivity and meet design capacity.”™
355,250 tonnes, Poland 181,515 tonnes and Ger-
many 157,383 tonnes.

Week 24 16•June•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P7