SA's coal windfall: Same tonnes, but more money
South Africa isn’t shipping dramatically more coal since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, but it’s earning a lot more from what it already exports overseas, customs data shows.
Bituminous coal exports, which make up over 90% of South Africa’s coal trade, rose just 5% by volume in the four months after the war began compared with the same period last year, according to South African Revenue Service figures. But the dollar value of those exports jumped 24% as buyers sought energy security amid a squeeze on gas supplies.
For example, Pakistan’s monthly purchases from South Africa rose 58%, from an average of 396,880 tonnes to 627,760 tonnes. Electricity generated from imported coal in Pakistan rose 90% by July.
Sri Lanka, which had not bought South African coal since March 2023, began buying coal from South Africa in December 2025 – two months before the war began. However, Sri Lanka did make its largest purchase of coal in April 2026 at 361,491 tonnes.
But this is not a comeback for coal. The International Energy Agency projects coal-fired power generation will rise 1.4% worldwide in 2026.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Supplier & Distributor of the Widest Range of Accurate & Easy-to-Use Alcohol Breathalysers
VISIT SHOWROOMEstablished in 1933, EKATO is the world leader in agitation technology, supplying agitators for processes and applications such as chemicals and...
VISIT SHOWROOMPress Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation

















