China's major coal-producing province logs record raw coal output in Q1

TAIYUAN, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The raw coal output of China's coal-rich province of Shanxi surpassed 333 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 5.9 percent year on year, setting a new record for coal production in a single quarter, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

Shanxi's raw coal output accounted for about 29 percent of the country's total in the first quarter.

The province has made continuous efforts to improve coal production efficiency through the intelligent and digital transformation of mines. It has built a total of 39 intelligent coal mines, ranking first in China.

Shanxi accounts for 23 percent, which is the largest proportion, of China's national coal reserve of 207.9 billion tonnes, based on an official report issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2022.

The province has set a coal production target of nearly 1.37 billion tonnes for 2023, according to the province's government work report.