Power demand totalled about 251TWh in January-October, provisional data from grid operator Terna show. This was down by about 6.3pc from 268GWh a year earlier, but the deficit to 2019 is turning out to be lower than Terna's forecasts. Chief financial officer Agostino Scornajenchi said in May that power consumption was expected to decline by 8-10pc this year compared with 2019.

Coal shipments from Australia's Queensland have increased slightly during October compared with September, with major ports expecting exports to rise for the rest of this year as vessel queues return to more ample levels.

Queensland's January-October coal exports are tracking around 7pc behind 2019, with most of the falls in exports of low-grade metallurgical coal. The state typically exports around 50pc hard coking coal, 30pc thermal coal and 20pc soft or pulverised coal injection grade coking coal.

• [Editor:kangmingfei]