According to the figures released by China National Coal Association, in August this year, the aggregate coal output in China totaled 307 million mt, down 2.5 percent or 8 million mt year on year. Meanwhile, in the January-August period of this year, China produced 2.57 billion mt of coal, up 4.4 percent or 108 million mt compared to the same period of last year.
In the January-August period of this year, China’s total coal sales volume was 2.47 billion mt, up 4 percent or 95 million mt on year-on-year basis. In August alone, China saw 289 million of coal sales volume, decreasing by 6.2 percent or 19 million mt year on year.
In the first eight months of this year, China’s coal imports totaled 178 million mt, indicating an increase of 54.2 percent or 62.42 million mt year on year, while the country imported 20.44 million mt of coal in August, decreasing by 15.8 percent or 3.83 million mt compared to July and down 0.7 percent year on year.
As of the end of August this year, coal inventory of producers amounted to 87.85 million mt, up 6.8 percent or 5.62 million mt month on month and up 69 percent or 35.85 million mt compared to the end of August 2011; while coal inventory at major ports in China totaled 43.18 million mt, down 7.9 percent or 3.7 million mt month on month but up 54.6 percent or 15.26 million mt on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, in August this year market sentiment index of Chinese domestic coal market was -43.8, down 0.7 point compared to July.