Thailand's September coal imports fall 30.6% on year, but nine-month total is up 9.7%

Thailand imported 940,086 tonnes of coal in September 2026, down 30.6% year on year, according to customs data. January-September imports still rose 9.7% to 15.29 million tonnes.

Thailand imported 940,086 tonnes of coal in September 2026, a 30.6% decline from a year earlier, according to customs data reported by Platts Coal Trader International. Cumulative imports for January-September nonetheless reached 15.29 million tonnes, up 9.7% year on year.

The value of September imports was $91.5 million, down 10.9%. Because value fell by less than volume, the average value per tonne rose, but the data do not show whether price, product mix, freight or exchange rates drove that change.

Indonesian volumes lower in both grades

Bituminous imports dropped 68.8% on the year to 165,150 tonnes, of which Indonesia supplied 164,856 tonnes, down 55.7%. Imports of other coals, a group that includes lignite and sub-bituminous grades, totalled 772,723 tonnes, down 6.4%. Indonesia supplied 629,526 tonnes of these, 23.6% less than a year earlier, while Russia supplied 143,170 tonnes after shipping none in September 2025.

Nine-month picture

• Bituminous imports: 5.44 million tonnes, up 7.5%
• Other coals: 9.67 million tonnes, up 9.6%
• Anthracite: 167,774 tonnes, up 169.3% from a low base
• Indonesian bituminous and other coal combined: 10.31 million tonnes, down 3%
• Australian bituminous coal: 3.34 million tonnes, up 15.5%

Consumption and generation weaker

Thailand's Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO), as cited by Platts, put coal and lignite consumption at 15.23 million tonnes in January-August, down 26.6%. Power-sector use fell 40.4% to 7.83 million tonnes, while industrial use slipped 2.9% to 7.4 million tonnes. These figures include domestic lignite and cover eight months, so they are not directly comparable with the import data.

Coal-and-lignite generation was 15,284 GWh in the period, down 33.2% and equal to 9.5% of total supply from domestic sources and imports. Gas-fired generation rose 14.9% to 96,977 GWh.

October customs data and later EPPO power figures will indicate whether September was a one-off lull or the start of a lower import pace.

Source: Thai customs data and EPPO figures, as reported by Platts Coal Trader International. Summary and wording by Megawise.

Photos: Photo: Jacek Rużyczka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons