60% of India's coal import likely from RI

By Adianto P. Simamora

India expects to import between 100 million and 120 million tons of thermal and coking coal this year, approximately half of which could be from Indonesia.

"Indonesia will continue to be the largest supplier of thermal coal to India," said Gurpreet Singh Chugh, Head of Natural Resources at Crisil Risk & Infrastructure Solutions Ltd., a unit of Crisil Ltd., which is a unit of Standard & Poor?s.

He said that the import from Indonesia could be about 50 to 60 percent of India's total import, adding that the actual amount of the import will depend on domestic coal production and the commissioning of several new power plants.

Indonesia will compete with other thermal coal exporters including those from South Africa, while for coking coal, Indonesia would compete with producers from Australia

Editing by David Mustakim