China Weighs Coal Market Intervention to End Stunning Rally

(Bloomberg) — China’s top economic planner is studying intervening in the coal market as the government tries to rein in a surge in prices threatening energy security and economic growth.

China thermal coal futures fell by the limit in overnight trading, ending a surge in which the fuel more than doubled since the beginning of September amid blackouts and power restrictions. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it is reviewing measures to intervene in prices and has “zero tolerance” for those spreading false information or collusion in the market.

“The current price increase has completely deviated from the fundamentals of supply and demand,” the agency said in a statement on its WeChat page. The NDRC will “study specific measures to intervene in coal prices and promote the return of coal prices to a reasonable range.”

The most-active thermal coal contract on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange fell as much as 4.4% in overnight trading after closing at a record 1,835.6 yuan ($285.42) a ton Tuesday.

The NDRC’s statement was the latest in a flurry of activity this week as officials seek to halt the rally in coal, which provides more than half the country’s energy. China has been stung by the global energy crisis, forced to cut power to large industrial users to ensure enough supplies for home heating through the winter.

Vice Premier Han Zheng called for “powerful measures” to curb speculation and hoarding in the energy sector while saying a better, market-oriented system for coal and electricity prices will help ensure stable power supply, China National Radio reported Tuesday. Meanwhile Beijing’s state-asset regulator urged coal producers to speed up production at mines with further output potential.

City officials in Yulin, a coal mining hub in Shaanxi province, held a meeting Tuesday afternoon to ask state-owned mines there to immediately lower prices by 100 yuan a ton, threatening harsh measures for any companies that don’t comply, industry publication China Coal Resource reported without citing sources.

Qinhuangdao, a key coal port, reached an agreement with coal mining companies, power plants and railway operators to cap prices of some supplies at no more than 1,800 yuan a ton, the Economic Daily reported, citing the country’s top economic planner.

The supply and demand dynamics mean there’s a chance coal’s gains could continue, Dennis Ip, an analyst with Daiwa Capital Markets, said Tuesday in a research note. “Coal price hikes are likely to be seen approaching the winter heating season,” he said.

Contact editor Bob Simison (hello@caixin.com)

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