'Value of India's coal imports up 38% at Rs 1.38 lakh cr in FY18'

India's coal imports rose by 38.2 per cent to Rs 1,38,477 crore in monetary terms last fiscal, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

In quantity terms, the coal imports increased by 9.1 per cent to 208.27 million tonnes (MT) from 190.95 MT.

"The value of India's coal imports have risen by 38.2 per cent to Rs 1,38,477 crore in 2017-18. However, the quantity of coal imports has increased only by 9.1 per cent from 190.95 MT to 208.27 MT," Coal and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He said upsurge in value of coal imports is primarily due to rise in international price leading to greater value increase as compared to absolute quantity increase in 2017-18.

"India is deficient in coking coal and as such imports of coking coal are inevitable. In 2017-18 the value of imported coking coal grew by 44 per cent, from Rs 41,230.06 crore to Rs 59,522.63 crore," Goyal said.

The minister said many thermal power stations are configured to use imported coal and as such imports by these are inevitable. During April-October 2018, these power plants have imported 22.27 MT of coal.

"The imported quantity of 2017-18 at 208.27 MT is less than the imported quantity of 2014-15 which stood at 217.79 MT even as power generation and industrial activity grew substantially after 2014-15," he said.