BEIJING: China’s coal imports rose 29% in October from a year earlier, customs data showed on Thursday, putting imports on track to notch another record high in 2024.

October imports totalled 46.25 million metric tons, according to the General Administration of Customs.

That was down slightly from September’s record high monthly imports of 47.59 million tons.

China’s thermal power generation unexpectedly rose 8.9% year-on-year in September, the most recent month for which data is available, as hydropower generation fell.

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Thermal power generation, which in China comes mostly from coal, had fallen on the year for three straight months from May to July, raising hope among renewable energy advocates that coal power generation was on a long-term downtrend.

For the first 10 months of 2024, coal imports stood at 435 million tons, up 13.5% from a year earlier.

China imported 474.42 million tons of coal in 2023, an all-time high.