Shanxi to Issue 12th Five-Year Plan for Coal Industry by 2011 Year End

SHANGHAI, Nov. 15 (SMM) -- There are three important measures to upgrade and transform the coal industry in the planning issued at the beginning of 2011, including making coal enterprises bigger and stronger, improving the modernization level of coal industry and promoting the circular development of coal industry.

There are already two coal enterprises with capacity greater than 100 million mt in Shanxi Province, including Shanxi Coking Coal Group and Datong Coal Mine Group. Shanxi Lu'an Group and Yangquan Coal Industry Group are expected to join the ranks of coal enterprises with capacity greater than 100 million mt during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. The planning points out that the provincial government will focus on cultivating some large coal enterprises to enhance the market competitiveness of coal enterprises in Shanxi.

In addition, the planning also proposes to achieve the comprehensive mechanization of coal mining, and to increase the production scale, as well as mechanization and information levels. As to the promotion of industrial circular development, the planning stipulates that focus should be put on the development of four circular economic industrial chains in Shanxi, including coal-electricity, coal-coking, coal gasification and coal liquefaction, in an effort to achieve the full utilization of associated minerals, coal gangue and fly ash.

Making coal enterprises bigger and stronger, improving the industrial concentration and promoting the reasonable utilization of resources have become the development trend of coal and other resources industries after recent ten years of rapid economic development in China, with eliminating outdated capacity inevitable.