India steps up coal search in South Africa

India's Tata Power, the country's largest private-sector utility, is looking for coal resources in Indonesia and South Africa, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Coaltrans conference in Bali, J.K Niyogi, head of project, said Tata Power forecasts coal imports to surge to 22 million tonnes per year by 2014, from 5 million tonnes per annum in 2009

Tata said in March its trading unit is looking to help arrange coal supplies from Australia, Indonesia and Africa for small power producers amid a growing shortage of the resource in India.

- Reuters