London - Britain's coal imports should show a spike for the first quarter of 2015 as utilities hoard ahead of a tax rise designed to encourage them to switch away from the more polluting coal-fired power generation.
From April, Britain's carbon tax, which charges power producers for each ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) they emit, almost doubles to GBP18.08 per ton.
In the short term, the impending jump in the tax rate has stimulated imports, but this is expected to end abruptly on April 1.