According to Mr Huang Jingan President of China Coking Industry Association at a summit forum about the country's coking coal supply and demand situation on October 22 that China coke output this year is projected to exceed 400 million tonnes. Statistics show that China produced 285 million tonnes of coke in the first eights months of the current year up 13.7%YoY and the production in the first three quarters increased by 13.8%YoY to 322 million tonnes.
Moreover, China coal consumption witnessed double-digit growth in January through August. Crude steel output stood at 469 million tonnes up by 10.6%YoY, pig iron production gained by 10%YoY to 433 million tonnes; the ferroalloy, calcium carbide and machinery manufacturing industries posted a growth rate of more than 20%YoY. Mr Huang also predicted that China coke exports likely stay below 4 million tonnes this year at 3.6 million tonnes to 3.7 million tonnes. He pointed out that China's high export tax on coke that is 40%, coupled with the poor performance of the current world steel market would put a cap on China's coke exports in the coming months.