South Africa isn’t shipping dramatically more coal since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, but it’s earning a lot more from what it already exports overseas, customs data shows.
Bituminous coal exports, which make up over 90% of South Africa’s coal trade, rose just 5% by volume in the four months after the war began compared with the same period last year, according to South African Revenue Service figures. But the dollar value of those exports jumped 24% as buyers sought energy security amid a squeeze on gas supplies.
For example, Pakistan’s monthly purchases from South Africa rose 58%, from an average of 396,880 tonnes to 627,760 tonnes. Electricity generated from imported coal in Pakistan rose 90% by July.
Sri Lanka, which had not bought South African coal since March 2023, began buying coal from South Africa in December 2025 – two months before the war began. However, Sri Lanka did make its largest purchase of coal in April 2026 at 361,491 tonnes.
But this is not a comeback for coal. The International Energy Agency projects coal-fired power generation will rise 1.4% worldwide in 2026.
