Jinan Times:

Coal is currently the mainstay of China's energy supply, serving as a crucial guarantee for energy security and a key raw material for industrial production. As the world's largest energy producer and consumer, could you please provide an update on the high-quality development of coal in China? Thank you.

Zhang Jianhua:

I will hand this question to Mr. Li Fulong.

Li Fulong:

Thank you for your important question. Coal remains the main energy source in China, playing dual roles as a significant fuel and industrial raw material. Use of coal provides a solid footing for ensuring national energy security. Over the past decade, we have balanced development and security, continued to develop digital and smart coal mines, rationalized the expansion of advanced capacity, and strengthened the clean and efficient utilization of coal. The high-quality development of coal industry has been cemented, providing a solid foundation for ensuring national energy security. 

This is reflected in four aspects:

First, coal supply security has been continuously enhanced. Coal development has increasingly gravitated towards resource-rich and competitive western regions. Raw coal production in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang increased significantly from 2.59 billion tons in 2013 to 3.83 billion tons in 2023, with the share in national output up 11.8 percentage points, playing a leading role in coal supply. Large-scale modern coal mines now dominate production, reducing the number of mines from over 10,000 to about 4,200.

Second, there have been notable achievements in green and intelligent coal development. Environmentally friendly coal exploitation technologies have been widely applied, leading to marked improvements in ecological conditions at mines. The mine water comprehensive utilization rate and land reclamation rate both rose by more than 10 percentage points. The intelligent construction of coal mines has entered a new phase of accelerated and deepened development. As of the end of May 2024, investments in intelligent coal mine construction have exceeded 112 billion yuan. Nationwide, 1,993 intelligent coal mining faces and 2,232 intelligent heading faces have been developed, effectively reducing manpower while improving safety and efficiency. Preliminary statistics show that key coal mines have reduced single-shift personnel at smart mining faces by more than six people, with work efficiency increasing by over 20%, marking a significant transformation in coal production methods.

Third, clean and efficient coal utilization has seen continuous improvements. Efforts have been made to enhance coal washing and dressing capabilities. The commercial coal quality evaluation and management criterion have been improved continuously, prompting steady upgrades of coal quality. Meanwhile, in the electricity sector, which is the primary field of coal consumption, efforts to phase out outdated coal-fired units have been coordinated with reforms to save energy, reduce carbon emission, improve flexibility, and renovate heat supply system. As of the end of last year, over 95% of coal-fired units have achieved ultra-low emissions, and China has established the world's largest clean coal-fired power supply system. Key breakthroughs have also been achieved in coal-to-oil and coal-to-gas technologies and equipment, continuously optimizing related operation indices.

Fourth, there has been leapfrog development in coalbed methane (CBM), or coalmine gas, exploitation and utilization. The coal industry has continued to promote comprehensive CBM governance, demonstrating significant economic, social, and ecological benefits. The CBM industry has realized large-scale development. Two major industrial bases have been established in the Qinshui Basin and the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin. National CBM production reached 11.77 billion cubic meters in 2023, nearly quadrupling the 2013 level, serving as a significant supplement to the natural gas supply. Thank you!