According to a GlobalData research report, expansion of production capacity in countries such as India and Indonesia is predicted to generate modest annual growth of 1.3 per cent in coal production over the next four years. Coal production in India, Indonesia and Australia is forecast to grow at CAGR of 10.9 per cent, 3.9 per cent, and 2.3 per cent, respectively, between 2018 and 2022.

After declining consecutively for three years, global coal production increased by 2.8 per cent to 7,188.8 Mt in 2017 and then rose again by a marginal 0.1 per cent to 7,194.1 Mt in 2018, the report says. Growth has been driven by India, Indonesia and Russia, where production increased by 3.1 per cent, 1.2 per cent, and 3.7 per cent CAGR between 2014 and 2018, respectively.