Tough to find alternatives for Russian thermal coal, says Japan utilities group head

A machine loads dump-body truck with coal at Chernigovsky opencast colliery in Kemerovo region, Siberia, Russia
A machine loads a BelAZ dump-body truck with coal at the Chernigovsky opencast colliery, outside the town of Beryozovsky, Kemerovo region, Siberia, Russia, April 4, 2016. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin/File Photo

TOKYO, April 15 (Reuters) - Alternatives for Russian thermal coal are difficult to find as the market is getting tighter, the head of a group representing Japanese utilities said on Friday.

"We want the government to provide maximum support (on the issue)," Kazuhiro Ikebe, the chairman of Japan's federation of electric utilities, told a news conference.

The Japanese government said earlier this month that it would ban coal imports from Russia in a broad escalation of sanctions after gradually reducing imports while looking for alternative suppliers. read more

Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

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