According to a new report issued by the China Coal Transport and Distribution Association (CCTDA), in the January-September period this year China’s large and medium-sized coal enterprises produced 2.46 billion mt of raw coal, down 10.5 percent year on year, while China’s apparent consumption of coal totaled 2.84 billion mt, decreasing by 2.4 percent year on year. In particular, in the give period consumption of coal in China’s power industry, steel industry and chemical industry amounted to 1.36 billion mt, 470 million mt and 200 million mt, down 1.3 percent, decreasing by 1.5 percent and rising by 6.6 percent year on year, respectively.
In the January-September period of the current year, China’s coal imports and exports amounted to 180.18 million mt and 6.30 million mt, rising by 15.2 percent and 56.7 percent year on year, respectively. Meanwhile, in the given period coal shipments by Chinese railways amounted to 1.37 billion mt, down 9.1 percent year on year. In particular, in September this year, coal shipments by Chinese railways totaled 158 million mt, rising by two percent year on year, which is the first increase recorded this year.
As of the end of September (Sept. 30) this year, overall inventories of coal at China’s coal enterprises totaled 115 million mt, down 14 percent year on year and declining by ten percent compared to the beginning of the current year. Meanwhile, inventories of coal at China’s large ports as of the same date totaled 26.19 million mt, down 34.2 percent year on year.