India’s coking coal imports [1] are expected to accelerate as the country ramps up steel production capacity, Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik said on Friday, citing limited domestic availability of the key steelmaking ingredient.
The country’s coking coal imports, currently at approximately 58 million tons, are projected to rise to 160 million tons by 2030. This increase follows India’s ambitious plans to expand its steelmaking capacity to 300 million tons within the same timeframe.
Despite an overall rise in steel output, coking coal imports saw a slight decline of 0.7% year-on-year in fiscal 2025 due to reduced shipments from Australia and the United States, according to commodities consultancy BigMint.
India produced 151.1 million tons of steel in fiscal 2025, with total steelmaking capacity standing at 200 million tons, Poundrik said earlier in the week.
However, he identified logistical challenges as a key hurdle in expanding steel capacity. Railways remain the preferred mode of transport for steel across the country due to cost advantages over road transport, yet congestion remains a concern—especially in states like Odisha and Karnataka, which house major steel plants operated by Tata Steel, JSW Steel, and Jindal Steel.
Sources:
[1] India’s steel secretary says coking coal imports to accelerate https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/India-s-steel-secretary-says-coking-coal-imports-to-accelerate-49718941/