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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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