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"While a large number of countries around the world continue to talk about securing raw material supply, China is actually doing something about it."
New figures show that the demand for high-quality Australian coal continues to grow throughout South East Asia with exports to Thailand four times higher in April 2016 compared to April 2015.
Australian coal exports to Thailand grew from 142,821 metric tonnes (mt) in April 2015 to 556,487 mt in April 2016, according to Platts.
Further, from the period January to April, Australian coal exports to Thailand rose 20 per cent to 1.37 mt year on year.
The figures demonstrate that developing nations in South East Asia require high quality coal to meet increased electricity demand, powered by the growing urbanization of the population, Greg Evans, executive director of the Coal, Minerals Council of Australia said in a statement.
There are around 361 million people in the South East Asian region that have no electricity according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Australian coal exports are perfectly positioned to help play a central role in helping reduce energy poverty.
The increase in demand by Thailand for Australian coal exports reflects recent export increases to Vietnam. In February, Platts reported that demand for Australian coal from Vietnam increased by 538.8 per cent in February 2016 compared to February 2015.
The IEA forecast that Australia’s exports of coal will grow by 36.7 per cent to 2040, increasing the Australian share of the global coal trade from 29 per cent in 2013 to 33 per cent in 2040.
The Minerals Council of Australia has recently released a publication highlighting the demand for Australian coal across South East Asia.
