Bloomberg Taiwan’s March Coal Imports Rise on Power Demand

May 7 (Bloomberg) --Taiwan, which imports all of its coal needs, increased purchases for a fourth consecutive month on higher demand from the island’s power generators.

Shipments rose 8.8 percent in March from a year earlier to 4.61 million metric tons, the Bureau of Energy in Taipei said in an e-mailed statement today. Consumption climbed 1.7 percent to 4.93 million tons.

Coal, which fuels about 45 percent of Taiwan’s power output, is also used in steelmaking. Electricity sales at Taiwan Power Co., the island’s monopoly grid operator, soared 18 percent in March from a year earlier, according to a company newsletter.

--Editors: Jane Lee.