Reuters reported that prices of power station coal in Australia, a benchmark for Asia, crept up for the fourth week and topped USD 73 a tonne, as a continued rally in Chinese domestic coal prices fuelled expectations of strong imports through the rest of the year.

A coal trader based in Jakarta said that "Chinese demand for Indonesian material is still very strong and imports could go even higher in the coming months as domestic prices climb higher."

Thermal coal prices on the globalCOAL Newcastle weekly index, a benchmark for Asia, rose by USD 1.06 or about 1.5% from a week ago to USD 73.13 a tonne, based on free on board prices at Australia's Newcastle port.

Spot thermal coal prices in China have risen for the sixth straight week to strike a new 2009 high, thanks to increasing winter heating demand and recovering power consumption on the back of a stronger economy.

Although it remains uneconomical for China to import Australian coal due to high freight charges, the ongoing flow of Indonesian coal imports by Chinese buyers has helped tighten supplies in the Asia Pacific market.

An unexpected surge in Chinese imports this year has been the saving grace for Asia's coal prices, which have recovered much faster than prices in Europe and South Africa, and have mostly traded at a premium to other region's supplies.

Trade sources said that strong Chinese demand, combined with slower Indonesian production due to the rainy season, has helped pare some of the excess supplies that inundated the market in September and has in turn lifted producers' offer prices.

Traders and producers said they were optimistic about prices for the rest of the fourth quarter, citing strength in Chinese and Indian imports, and possible fresh demand in the traditional North Asian markets over the winter heating season.

Prices of top grade coal at China's top coal port Qinhuangdao gained CNY 5 to CNY 20 to a range of CNY 655 to CNY 680 a tonne this week, while coal with a calorific value of 5,500 kilo calorie per kilogram was quoted at CNY 620 to CNY 640 a tonne.

China coal imports rose 7% MoM in September to 12.55 million tonnes, with tight domestic supply that made imports attractive likely to continue at least through the end of the year.

(Sourced from www.reuters.com)