National Energy Administration: China's first net importer of coal

The author learned from the conference of the Energy Bureau of the National Energy Administration that in 2009 China had a net import of 103 million tons of coal and for the first time it became a net importer of coal.

It is reported that in 2009 a total of 126 million tons of imported coal, an increase of 211.9% over the previous year; exports of coal 22.4 million tons, down 50.7%; annual net imports of 103 million tons of coal, the first time a coal net importer.

According to the analysis of the National Energy Administration, the reasons for the sharp increase in coal imports are: due to the financial crisis, the demand for major coal consumers such as Japan and South Korea plummets, international coal prices and shipping fees have fallen sharply, and the cost of purchasing coal from southern coastal cities is low. Purchased from China; China's economy has taken the lead in recovery, and coal demand has increased.

The National Energy Administration predicts that the global economic recovery in 2010 will stimulate coal demand, and international coal prices will maintain the current upward trend, and the growth of China's coal imports will obviously slow down.