India's Coal Imports Turn Steel-Centric as Metallurgical Demand Rises

India needs coal for two big reasons: to make electricity and to make steel.

The coal used to make steel is called metallurgical coal, and India cannot dig up enough of it at home.

In the last financial year, India bought more of this special steel-making coal from other countries than before.

At the same time, India bought less of the regular coal used for electricity, because its own mines are producing more of that.

So India's coal shopping list is changing.

Russia sold India more coal this year, and Australia is still the biggest seller of the premium kind of steel-making coal.

This change means that what happens with steel in India now matters a lot for its coal imports.