Page 9 - AsiaElec Week 13 2022
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AsiaElec                                          COAL                                              AsiaElec


       Indian coal imports





       continue to contravene





       Russian sanctions







        INDIA            IN their latest snub to global efforts to counter  4.5mn tonnes of coal had already been imported,
                         Russian aggression against Ukraine by way of  although he did not say when this had taken
                         wide-reaching sanctions and supplies of military  place, and that a further 1.06mn tonnes is now
                         aid to Kyiv, authorities in New Delhi have in the  scheduled to arrive at Indian ports by the end of
                         past week revealed that by the end of March, they  the month.
                         are expecting the largest shipment of coking coal   If confirmed as delivered, this would be the
                         from Russia since early 2020.        largest such shipment of coking coal in over two
                           Speaking on 28 March, Indian politician and  years from Russia.
                         Minister of Steel Ramchandra Prasad Singh   Coking coal is typically used in India in the
                         announced that in the coming months “we are  production of steel, one of the most important
                         moving in the direction of importing coking coal  Indian exports. The country currently ranked as
                         from Russia.” It is understood that New Delhi  the world’s second-largest steel producer, having
                         plans to double present import levels.  moved from an output of just 22mn tonnes in the
                           Russia is already India’s sixth-largest supplier  early 1990s to around 120mn tonnes today, and
                         of coal, and the planned increase in imports was  with an eventual goal of 300mn tonnes by the
                         immediately criticised by many on the subconti-  end of the present decade.
                         nent and across Asia as supplying Moscow with   In an apparent bid to move the focus away
                         foreign currency with which to continue to wage  from India’s dependency on Russian imports at
                         war in neighbouring Ukraine.         such a sensitive time in global geopolitics, how-
                           The Indian government has repeatedly  ever, Singh then went on to stress the need for
                         abstained during votes held at the United  an “urgent move towards green steel” in which
                         Nation’s General Assembly when asked to  he highlighted the utilisation of hydrogen in the
                         condemn Russia’s actions, most notably on a  production process instead of coking coal.
                         draft resolution using the text “deploring in the   “(Coal) can be replaced by hydrogen and our
                         strongest terms” Russian military operations in  dependency on imports of coal also will reduce,”
                         Ukraine. New Delhi maintains that dialogue and  he said.
                         diplomacy are the only ways to end the war.  A day prior to the announcement that
                           This approach was only compounded at the  imports of Russian coking coal would be dou-
                         press conference on 27 March, when the Min-  bled, New Delhi also revealed figures on thermal
                         ister of Steel outlined upcoming Indian import  coal imports to India in recent months.
                         plans.                                 Numbers are down across the board in sync
                           Sources also revealed that Russia is thought  with an increase in domestic mining and pro-
                         to be on the verge of reducing prices for buyers  duction projects, and stood at 125.6mn tonnes
                         in India as well as China, as European and US  imported between April 2021 and the end of
                         sanctions continue to bite, and that it is possible  January 2022, a figure down 23.3% compared to
                         that Russia would start accepting payments in  the same time frame a year ago, when 163.8mn
                         Indian rupees in the near future.    tonnes were brought in from overseas.   ™
                           The Minister went on to add that around



















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