India's coal imports increased in December

India's coal imports in December 2023 increased by 27% compared to the same period in the previous year, according to2Deccan Herald. The country imported around 23.35 million tonnes of coal in December 2023, compared to 18.35 million tonnes in December 2022.

The rise in coal imports is attributed to the country's push to reduce dependency on imports and achieve self-reliance. India's coal industry is the second-largest in the world, and the government is working towards increasing domestic output to over 1 billion tonnes of coal in 2023-2024 and 1.5 billion tonnes by 2029-2030.

Coal-fired power remains a key element of India's electricity portfolio, with coal-fired power forecast to account for 72% of total power generated in India in 2023.

Source: Deccan Herald