China's coal imports are expected to be flat in 2024 despite an expected 4% increase in demand for the fuel, a senior executive from state-run utility Guangdong Energy Group said on Friday.

Shipments from Indonesia, the world's largest exporter of coal, will fall to 200 million metric tons this year, while imports of Australian coal will return to a normal level of 80 million tons, Wu Wenbin, Guangdong Energy's head of coal management told the 2024 China Coal Import International Summit.

The world's top coal importer will bring in 450 million to 500 million tons of the fuel in 2024, Wenbin said.