Turkey imported 3.14 million tonnes of coal in August, down 10.9% year on year. A 20.4% fall in thermal coal outweighed an 81.5% rise in coking coal.
Total imports fell to 3,143,224 t. Thermal coal dropped 20.4% and coking coal rose 81.5%, led by a 194% increase in US volumes.
Thermal and coking coal serve power and steel respectively, so the headline decline does not describe both segments.
September volumes by coal type, customs values and power-generation data, to show whether the divergence continues.
Turkey imported 3,143,224 tonnes of coal in August 2026, down 10.9% from 3,528,802 tonnes a year earlier, according to Turkish trade statistics tabulated by The TEX Report. The total masks opposite trends by coal type.
Thermal down, coking up
- Thermal coal: 2,477,929 tonnes, down 20.4% from 3,114,049 tonnes.
- Coking coal: 637,772 tonnes, up 81.5% from 351,419 tonnes.
- Anthracite: 27,523 tonnes, down 56.5% from 63,335 tonnes.
Thermal arrivals fell by 636,120 tonnes, more than offsetting the 286,353-tonne rise in coking coal. Thermal coal mainly serves power generation and industrial heat, while coking coal is used in steelmaking. Import volumes alone do not show consumption, since delivery timing and stock levels can move separately from fuel use.
S&P Global Energy has reported that Turkey's January-August thermal imports were lower year on year, as strong hydropower output cut coal-fired generation earlier in 2026. Coal-fired generation reportedly recovered in July and August as hydro output eased, so hydropower cannot be assumed to explain the August decline on its own.
Suppliers and value
Russia remained the largest supplier at 2,272,156 tonnes across all categories, down 14.7% on the year. Of that, 2,189,667 tonnes was thermal coal. The United States shipped 414,385 tonnes, all classified as coking coal, up 194% from August 2025. Australia supplied 168,421 tonnes, close to its level a year earlier.
Spending rose even as volumes fell. Customs value reached about $386.4 million, against $359.2 million a year earlier, and the average declared value was $122.95 per tonne, versus $101.79. The average spans different grades and origins and is not a benchmark price.
September data on volumes by coal type, customs values and power generation will show whether the split persists.
Source: The TEX Report, Turkish trade statistics for August 2026. Summary and wording by Megawise.
Photos: Photo: Jack Bain, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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