National mine safety body to ramp up coal production

The National Mine Safety Administration has taken a series of measures to unleash coal production capacity to help cope with power shortages that have hit factories and households in some areas, an official said. 

"We resolutely support the work to secure an adequate supply of coal," Jing Jian, an official with the administration, told a news conference on Wednesday. 

He said after taking into account safe production, the administration has simplified procedures and shortened the time for examination and approval so that some coal mines could get all of the necessary documents to start or increase production as soon as possible.

After strictly reviewing 976 coal mines that have the potential to increase output, the lists of which were provided by the National Development and Reform Commission and local governments, the administration has given green light to 153 ones, he said. 

In total, these coal mines could increase their coal production by 220 million metric tons a year, he said. They are expected to generate 55 million tons in the fourth quarter of the year.

Coal mines with major safety hazards and inadequate capacities to ensure safe operation are all banned from increasing their output, he stressed.

He said the administration, with help of relevant government bodies in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, managed to help address problems that prevented 47 open-pit coal mines from going into production or running full steam, unleashing annual production capacity of 115 million tons. 

Some of the mines failed to get all of the necessary licenses, and some were restricted from going into production because of land use, he said, without going into details.

The administration is still coordinating with local government bodies in the region and Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces to help 50 coal mines get necessary documents for production. In total, they have an annual production capacity of 120 million tons, he said. 

Meanwhile, the administration has designated experts to key coal mines to help them identify and address safety hazards in a timely manner, he said. For coal mines that are required to suspend operation because of accidents or major safety hazards, the administration will dispatch special personnel to help them rectify their problems so they can resume production timely.