Australian producers exported 16mn t of thermal coal in April, up by 2.6pc on the year, on the back of rising Vietnamese demand, although shipments likely declined in May.
- Exports out of the Port Waratah Coal Services terminals at the Port of Newcastle — Australia's main thermal coal hub — fell by 30pc on the year in May because of flooding in the region.
- Vietnamese utilities bought 1.7mn t of Australian thermal coal in April, up by 172pc from 619,456t a year earlier. The country's total coal imports reached a 22-month high in April on the back of restocking demand from utilities.
- Thermal coal exports from Australia to China fell by 3.3pc on the year from 6.2mn t to 6mn t in April. But exports to China may rise in the coming months because Chinese coal buyers are turning to Australian mid-calorific value coal on cheaper prices, seeking higher volumes of Australian coal in late April.
- Indian utilities bought 423,770t of Australian thermal coal in April, up by 28pc from 330,000t a year earlier. Exports to India could rise in May. India's power ministry in early May directed coal-fired utilities to boost generation until 30 June.
- Argus' coal Newcastle 6000kcal NAR fob price has been rising since late-April. It was last assessed at $101.38/t on 4 June, up from $91.71/t on 25 April.
| Australian thermal coal exports | |||||||
| Apr '25 | Apr '24 | Mar '25 | y-o-y ± % | Jan - Apr '25 | Jan - Apr '24 | YTD ± % | |
| Total (mn t) | 15.6 | 15.2 | 17.6 | 2.6 | 62.2 | 64.2 | -3.1 |
| Value ($bn) | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.5 | -17.6 | 5.9 | 7.4 | -20.6 |
| Average Price ($/t) | 91.8 | 111.3 | 87.4 | -17.5 | 94.8 | 115.4 | -17.8 |
| Average FX rate | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | -1.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | -3.9 |
| Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) | |||||||
Argus' 6000kcal NAR coal price fob Australia ($/t)
