China’s coal imports have risen 88.6% in the first seven months of 2023, to 261 million tons, while domestic production grew 3.6% to 2.67 billion tons. Last year, as per a recently-published report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), coal demand globally grew 3.3% to 8.3 billion tons, with further growth expected in 2023 and 2024 as increased industrial use outstrips reductions in the electricity generation sector. Beijing has heightened its time-of-use electricity pricing mechanism, with prices now in a 1.6 : 1 : 0.4 ratio. The two peak periods are from 10am to 1pm and from 5pm to 10pm, while the low price is from 11pm to 7am. This type of reform is being gradually adopted in many locations…