India's total coal imports declined by 5.83% in August 2026, falling to 104.57 million tonnes from 111.05 million tonnes in August 2025, representing a reduction of 6.48 million tonnes. This decline reflects the Ministry of Coal's continued efforts to enhance domestic coal production, improve availability, and strengthen the supply chain to reduce the country's dependence on imported coal.
Coal imports by the power sector declined by 6.39%, decreasing from 22.77 million tonnes in August 2025 to 21.32 million tonnes in August 2026. Within the power sector, imports by imported coal-based power plants increased marginally by 0.98% from 18.13 million tonnes to 18.31 million tonnes, as these plants are designed to operate primarily on imported coal. However, imports for blending at domestic coal-based power plants declined significantly by 35.23%, falling from 4.64 million tonnes to 3.00 million tonnes, indicating reduced import requirements for blending purposes.
The share of imported coal in India's total coal consumption decreased from 21.20% in August 2025 to 19.30% in August 2026, representing a decline of 1.90 percentage points. Coking coal imports, which are crucial for the steel industry, declined by 4.18% from 28.49 million tonnes to 27.30 million tonnes, reflecting the specific raw material requirements of the steel sector where domestic availability remains constrained by quality and characteristics of indigenous reserves.
The Ministry of Coal continues to focus on increasing domestic coal production and offtake, strengthening First Mile Connectivity, improving coal evacuation infrastructure, and closely monitoring coal stock levels at thermal power plants. Coordinated efforts with the Ministry of Railways, Coal India Limited, and its subsidiaries aim to ensure timely and adequate supply of coal to power utilities, improving reliability of domestic coal supplies and reducing avoidable import dependence while supporting uninterrupted power generation across the country.