China coal-rich region closes 22 coal mines in 2018

HOHHOT: North China's coal-rich region of Inner Mongolia shut down 22 coal mines in 2018, cutting production capacity by 11.1 million tonnes, local authorities said on Wednesday.

All of the closed mines were small, less profitable ones with relatively backward facilities, and their closure helped upgrade industrial structure and promote quality development of the coal industry, the regional government said.

Efforts have also been made to expand the industrial chain and promote technological innovations on the cleaner and more efficient use of coal, it said.

In 2018, raw coal output in the region reached 926 million tonnes, accounting for more than a quarter of China's total. Its coal production capacity stood at 1.33 billion tonnes.

In the drive to cut outdated excess capacity, local authorities also closed two steel mills and 118 MW of outdated coal-fired power generation capacity and replaced 2.8 million tonnes of outdated capacity of steel and electrolytic aluminum with more efficient and greener capacity.