China's seaborne thermal coal import jumps

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Aug 25 (Reuters): China's imports of seaborne thermal coal are poised to climb to the most this year in August while those of fellow top buyer India slump to a 3 ½-year low.
The diverging trends in the world's two biggest importers of the fuel - used mainly to generate electricity - largely reflect the interplay in their domestic markets of coal production and the rising deployment of renewable energy.
China's seaborne imports of thermal coal are estimated to rise to 25.63 million metric tons in August, up from 22.77 million in July and the most since December last year, according to data compiled by commodity analysts Kpler.
Imports from top thermal coal exporter Indonesia are on track to reach a five-month high of 16.13 million tons, while those from second-ranked Australia are expected to rise for a third consecutive month to 5.84 million.