Reuters, Beijing, October 12-As China emphasizes coal power supply, some coal mining companies in Shanxi Province have temporarily suspended production due to heavy rains. At a press conference held by the Shanxi Provincial Government Information Office on Tuesday, Wang Qirui, party secretary and director of the Shanxi Provincial Emergency Management Department, said that Shanxi is stepping up efforts to resume production in coal mines, and the temporary suspension of production in some coal mines will generally not affect Shanxi’s coal supply.
Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang Qirui as saying on Tuesday that since most coal mines have been shut down for a short period of time and resumed production more quickly, in general, they will not affect the coal supply in Shanxi Province.
“As of now, most coal mines have resumed normal production, and only 4 coal mines have not yet resumed.” Wang Qirui said, of these 4 coal mines, three are located in Linfen City, with an overall annual production capacity of 3.6 million tons. If it is not completely cleared, there are potential safety hazards; another coal mine is located in Taiyuan City, with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons. The reason for the suspension of production is that the coal transportation channel was interrupted due to a landslide, and it is still under emergency repair.
Since October 2, some coal mines in Taiyuan, Jinzhong, Luliang, Linfen, Changzhi, Jincheng, Yuncheng and other places have been affected by heavy rainfall. In order to ensure safe production, measures such as temporary emergency shutdown of production and evacuation of personnel have been taken to avoid danger. With the recent slowing of the rain, Shanxi Province has stepped up efforts to resume production and resume production of coal mines in various places.
The shortage of coal and the high coal price have led to insufficient willingness of power plants to generate electricity, and multiple factors such as strong demand have caused power restrictions in many places in China. The government is taking multiple measures to ensure the supply of electricity, and the National Development and Reform Commission requires medium and long-term coal contracts to achieve full coverage of coal for power generation and heating.
Shanxi is a major coal province in China. Nearly 40% of the province’s underground area has coal seams. As of the end of 2015, the province’s accumulated coal resource reserves were about 297 billion tons, and the reserves were 270.9 billion tons, accounting for 17.3% of the national total, ranking third in the country. (over)
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