china to ban import of low rank coal <4700kcal, page-3

SHANGHAI, Sept 3 (Reuters) - China, the world's top coal importer, is expected to soon put curbs on shipments of low-quality coal, responding to calls for support from the country's miners who are seeing widespread losses due to oversupply and anaemic demand for the fuel. The China National Coal Association has sent a proposal to the government calling for imports of low-quality coal with ash and sulphur content exceeding 15 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, to be halted, sources from coal producers and power utilities said....."We think the document may come within days or weeks. Beijing already hinted at restricting imports of low-grade coal previously and is well aware of the need to take swift actions to arrest the crisis," said an executive at a large coal firm.