The UK imported 306,401 mt of thermal coal in March, plunging 87% year on year and down 53% from February to the lowest level since Platts records began in January 2012, according to customs data received late Tuesday.
In the first quarter of 2016, the UK imported 1.64 million mt of thermal coal, down 80% compared to Q1 2015.
The UK's thermal coal imports have been declining since the doubling of its Carbon Price Support mechanism in April 2015, decreasing coal's competitiveness for power generation. A number of coal-fired power plants are also set to close in 2016, lowering demand further.
During March, the UK imported 137,033 mt of Russian thermal coal, dropping 87% from the same month in 2015 and down 51% from February to a six-month low.
Colombia delivered 99,874 mt to the UK in March, falling 89% on the year and 70% lower than the previous month to the lowest level since records started in January 2015.
No coal has been received from the US or South Africa in 2016 so far.
