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German thermal coal imports hit a historical low of below 19 million tonnes in 2023, following a drastic year-on-year decline of 40%, amid ongoing efforts to phase out coal, Motel reported, citing the provisional industry data by the German Coal Importers' Association (VDKI).
The estimated thermal coal imports stood at 18.6 million tonnes, down from 30.8 million tonnes in 2022, even below the previous low of 19.9 million tonnes recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to the industry body VDKI.
Total hard coal imports, which include coking coal utilized in steel production, registered a 26% decrease from the previous year to 33 million tonnes. However, this figure still slightly exceeded the multi-year low of 31.3 million tonnes in 2022.
Germany aims to eliminate coal-fired power generation by 2030, but considering energy security, whether the remaining coal-fired power plants should serve as a backup remains on the table, the industry group said.
As a result of the coal embargo on Russian exports since August 2022, Germany's hard coal imports from Russia have nearly vanished. In 2023, Germany imported only 2% of its hard coal from Russia.
The US, Colombia, and South Africa emerged as the primary beneficiaries in the absence of Russian thermal coal, with South African supply showing an obvious increase.
Among the total hard coal imports in 2023, the US accounted for 28%, followed by Australia at 27%, primarily supplying coking coal. Colombia and South Africa contributed 15% and 12% of Germany's imported coal, respectively.
(Writing by Riley Liang Editing by Emma Yang)
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