Coal production in China: past, present, and future projections

Abstract

ABSTRACTGeneral information of China’s coal production, processing, and standardization of coal quality management over the past 30 years is introduced in this article. Analysis of the present situation and future projections of China’s coal production are also presented. Coal production in China increased year by year from 1980 and reached the maximum of 3.974 Gt in 2013. Provinces including Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Shaanxi are the main coal producing regions in China at present and Xinjiang will become another important coal producer in the future. The production of low-rank bituminous coal and lignite increased rapidly in the past 10 years. Coal consumption for electricity generation accounts for about 50% of product coal in China, much lower than that in developed countries. On the contrary, the proportion of coal consumption for coke-making is higher than other main coal producing countries, up to about 15% of total coal production. China became a net importer of coal since 2009 and the imports had reached 3.27 Mt in 2013. Coal washing rate in China has remained at a lower level for many years, much lower than that in developed countries (such as America and Europe). As for coal quality management, China has the world’s most systematic management standards for coal quality evaluation and specifications for feed coal in various utilizations. In recent years, with the strengthening of coal management, China has set a series of commercial coal quality standards in which civil coal standards were also included. China is facing the problem of decline in coal demand in recent years. Traditional coal production has suffered from excess capacity and higher inventory in China since 2012. The development of coal industry in China will change to rely more on quality and efficiency, developing scientific capacity, and achieving clean utilization.