Indian cement producers expect higher-sulphur petcoke import in 2020

India’s cement sector is expected to increase its imports of high-sulphur petcoke in 2020 as it aims to boost production, according to company executives.

Indian use of petcoke as an alternative to coal for the cement industry rose marginally in 2019 after a first-time decline in nearly a decade in 2018.

Sanjay Kumar, strategic sourcing director at LafargeHolcim Energy Solutions, said he saw "higher imports of petcoke in 2020". Yagyesh Gupta, chief procurement officer at JK Cement, also said imports of petcoke could increase, in line with the growth of the cement industry.

However, the availability of coal, partly impacted by the lack of rail wagons and inconsistent quality, will also affect petcoke imports.

Depending on pricing, the industry could import coal from Australia and parts of Europe, including Russia, Mr Kumar said. India’s historical importer, South Africa, has started exporting to other southeast Asian regions such as Pakistan.