{
  "language": "en",
  "interfaceLanguage": "en",
  "url": "https://voltformer.com/news/world-bank-september-2026-coal-industrial-energy-costs",
  "slug": "world-bank-september-2026-coal-industrial-energy-costs",
  "category": "mining-materials",
  "publishDate": "2026-10-09",
  "sourceDate": {
    "kind": "event",
    "value": "2026-10-02"
  },
  "sourceName": "World Bank",
  "sourceUrl": "https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/74e8be41ceb20fa0da750cda2f6b9e4e-0050012026/related/CMO-Pink-Sheet-October-2026.pdf",
  "readingTimeMinutes": 1,
  "author": "VoltaForge Editorial",
  "tags": [
    "Coal",
    "Industrial energy",
    "Fuel costs",
    "October 2026"
  ],
  "content": {
    "title": "September coal benchmarks rise at different speeds across export markets",
    "summary": "Australian and South African reference prices both increased; industrial energy exposure remains tied to fuel quality and contract terms.",
    "sections": [
      {
        "heading": "Released benchmark data",
        "paragraphs": [
          "The World Bank released its October Pink Sheet on 2 October 2026. August → September monthly averages, in US dollars: Australian coal 135.2 → 147.1 per metric tonne; South African coal 96.8 → 98.2 per metric tonne. These are monthly market benchmarks, not October averages or delivered equipment quotations."
        ],
        "sources": [
          {
            "name": "World Bank — Pink Sheet, 2 October 2026",
            "url": "https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/74e8be41ceb20fa0da750cda2f6b9e4e-0050012026/related/CMO-Pink-Sheet-October-2026.pdf"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "heading": "How costs reach the project",
        "paragraphs": [
          "Editorial analysis: the larger Australian move cannot be treated as a universal coal-price increase. Fuel specifications, transport and sourcing terms differ. For industrial heat or coal-fired electricity exposure, the relevant cost is the usable energy delivered to the plant, including handling and conversion efficiency, rather than a headline price per tonne."
        ]
      },
      {
        "heading": "Procurement implications",
        "paragraphs": [
          "Map the actual fuel grade and index used in supply contracts before revising power or process-heat budgets. Keep thermal coal separate from metallurgical coal assumptions in steel analysis. Fixed electricity tariffs may delay pass-through, while indexed contracts may react sooner; these are analytical possibilities, not reported tariff changes.",
          "Read the connected analysis: [Metals, mining and processing margins, August–October 2026](/articles/metals-mining-processing-margin-aug-oct-2026)."
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "companies": []
}