Coal Photo:CFP

Indian coal miner Coal India plans to export part of its coal output to India's neighbors according to a Reuters' report published on Friday. Analysts pointed out that the quality and amount of Indian coal remain unclear.

The Reuters' report cited sources stating that Coal India, a state-owned coal miner, planned to export some coal to Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan to follow India's "neighborhood first" foreign policy.

However, Wang Yongzhong, head of the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that as one of the world largest coal consumers, Indian coal may not be the best choice for the other major coal importers in the region.

"Major coal buyers such as China, Japan and South Korea in the region used to import coal from Indonesia, Russia and Australia with acceptable price and quality," said Wang.

According to the report, nearly three fourths of India's electricity is generated by coal and the country is suffering from a routine regional power crunch.

Wang noted that the volume on global coal market is abundant at present and the exported coal from India may be used for adjustment for its domestic energy source reserves, therefore India's coal export will barely impact the supply and demand on the global market.

Global Times