Asian coal imports fall, European imports rise

According to statistics from the Organizing Committee of the China Coal-based Natural Gas/CBM-related International Summit Forum in Xinjiang in 2010, Asia’s imports of coal from South Africa decreased in August, while Europe’s coal imports climbed.

South Africa's coal supply to Asia fell from 452 million metric tons in July to 4.47 million metric tons in August, a decrease of 1%. Imports from Japan and South Korea increased while imports from India and China decreased.

The largest flood in China since 1998 has enhanced the power generation capacity of hydropower stations and reduced the dependence on coal-fired power generation during peak summer electricity use.

Europe imported 62 million tons of coal from South Africa in August, an increase of 63% from July. Europe's coal imports from South Africa reached 5.8 million tons throughout the year through August.

Due to the recovery of the Asian economy from the global economic recession, the total amount of imported coal from South Africa in August this year was 29 million tons.

As of the week of September 17, the price of coal shipped out of Richard Coal's coal handling port in South Africa reached US$85.00, which fell to the lowest point in five months.