Mongolia has initiated talks with the Indian Government seeking facilitation in supplying coking coal to domestic steel companies, source in Indian Ministry of Steel said on 13 June. The source said that representatives of Mongolian Government have informed their Indian counterparts  that the several coal washeries will operational by 2024 and Mongolian authorities are seeking joint venture partners for these washeries with guaranteed off-take condition.

However, Indian officials pointed out that there are several issues which need to be sorted out before coking coal could be imported from the country. It was noted that it is for Indian steel companies to enter supply contacts directly with Mongolian mining agencies and Indian Government could only act as facilitator and not in position to act as intermediary to any such imports.

At the same time, from consultations with domestic steel companies it has been learned that major challenge for import coking coal  was Mongolia being a landlocked country, there would be logistical challenges and costs of transporting such import through Russia and China.