UPDATE 1-S.Korea utilities ink '09 coal contracts with China

* S.Korea to buy 3 mln tonnes of coal from China at $78.50/T

* Talks between individual power firms and miners ongoing (Adds details, background)

PERTH, June 17 - South Korean utilities have agreed 2009 thermal coal contracts with three Chinese producers at about $78.50 a tonne, down more than 45 percent from a year ago but in line with asking prices from China, two utility sources said on Wednesday.

Two separate utility sources said the five power companies have agreed to buy a total of three million tonnes of thermal coal from China's Shenhua Energy Co <1088.HK>, China Coal Group <1898.HK><601898.SS> and Datong Coal Mine Group.

The headline price of $78.50 a tonne is based on coal with a heating value of 5,800 kcal/kg (NAR) and is significantly higher than the low-$60s range which South Korean utilities were seeking as early as last month. [ID:nSYD404272]

Apart from the agreed 3 million tonnes, South Korea's five power companies -- Kosep, Kospo, Komipo, Kowepo and Kewespo -- are also individually negotiating with Chinese producers for additional tonnage, said one of the utility sources.

"We've decided to settle with the Chinese because prices are now on an uptrend and there are also considerations that supplies may tighten in the third and fourth quarter, which could push prices higher," said the utility source who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The agreement, which was signed on Tuesday, comes amid a recent surge in Asian coal prices, which have jumped about 18 percent since May to about $74 a tonne on the globalCOAL Newcastle index, after touching a four-month high of $77.19 last week.

The long overdue settlement for contracts beginning from April may also set the tone for negotiations between Japanese utilities and Chinese miners, which have also been locked in annual contract talks since early this year.