Philippines' thermal coal imports recover in March

The Philippines' thermal coal imports rose on the year in March, as the country increased its reliance on coal-fired generation following emergency directives to ensure stable power supply.

Overall thermal coal imports — including anthracite, non-coking bituminous and sub-bituminous coal — stood at 3.13mn t in March, up by 7.1pc from a year earlier and 12pc on the month, according to Philippine customs data.

Indonesian coal accounted for nearly all of the Philippines' thermal coal imports in March. Shipments from Indonesia totalled 3.08mn t in March, up by 7.4pc on the year and by 12pc from February.

Thermal coal imports in the first quarter of 2026 totalled 8.8mn t, up by 2pc from the same period a year earlier, customs data show.

Imports increased as coal-fired generation rose on the year, reaching 5.06TWh in March, up from 4.85TWh a year earlier, according to data from the independent electricity market operator of the Philippines (IEMOP). But coal-fired output was slightly lower from 5.13TWh recorded in February, as overall power demand was lower on the month. Coal remains the main fuel source for electricity generation, accounting for 57.2pc of the power mix in March, up from 54.3pc a year earlier.

The Philippines raised its coal-fired generation to ensure steady power supply as the US-Iran war has disrupted supplies of other energy products. Manila had earlier issued emergency directives to utilities, requiring power plants to remain fully operational and to comply with minimum inventory requirements.

The Philippines' overall power generation totalled 8.84TWh in March, down slightly from 8.9TWh a year earlier. Gas-fired output reached 1.44TWh in March, down from 1.67TWh a year before, accounting for 16pc of generation, down from 19pc a year earlier. Hydropower output also waned, falling to 713GWh in March, down from 832GWh in 2025.

Most parts of the country received below-normal rainfall, according to the Philippines' weather and climate authority Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), which likely caused the drop in hydropower output.

Temperatures in March were slightly cooler than average across most parts of Luzon and Visayas, and no extreme temperature records were surpassed during the month, said Pagasa. This likely led to lower demand for power for cooling purposes.

By Nadhir Mokhtar