Published: July 8, 2020 |

[Click image to enlarge]

The CCTD ceased publishing the data as of July 6 because at least five of the six flagship coastal utilities have stopped releasing their daily coal burn data. Only Zhejiang Power’s daily coal burn data was still available on CCTD’s website today.

The data is an important yardstick for evaluating China’s appetite for imported coal because the coastal regions account for most of the seaborne coal purchased in China. The delivery of Chinese domestic coal to the coastal utilities from mines in the northern and central interior is relatively costly and logistically more challenging.

The data is also used by analysts to track China’s economic health as the coastal regions tend to be more populous than the inland regions and contain a higher proportion of the country’s industries. Higher coal burn can often denote greater economic activity although weather conditions are another important factor affecting coal consumption.

Daily coal burn at the coastal utilities was especially important compared with other categories of coal burn offered by CCTD because it was published daily and offered a timely glimpse into the coastal regions’ power demand. The coal burn data of key utilities nationwide had not been updated on the CCTD site since May 31.

The coastal coal burn data may have become more politically sensitive for publication given regional geopolitical tensions surrounding China’s trading relationships and economic activity. Analysts had used this data to track China’s economic health and recovery during the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is not clear if the CCTD intends to reinstate the data on its website.

Source: Argus

Be in-the-know when you’re on-the-go!