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Over 5,000 coal mines to suspend production
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-08-02 17:03 More than 5,000 small
township- and individual-run coal mines in China are ordered to suspend
production to be rectified as they lack the required safety production license
from concerned departments, Beijing-based People's Daily reported Tuesday.
The production suspension has no great impact on the country's coal supply as
the combined output of these coal mines is around 40 million tons in six
month-period, the paper said, quoting an official with the State Coal Mine
Safety Inspection Bureau.
According to the source, by the end of July, 20,046 of the country's 25,927
coal mines have applied for safety production license, accounting for 77.3
percent of the total.
Last month, Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan vowed to reform the coal
industry by establishing large coal groups with better safety equipment, instead
of scattered small shafts with poor safety standards.
China's coal industry, which provides 70 percent of the country's energy
needs,is enjoying a high-speed production growth while being plagued by rampant
accidents. Last year, more than 6,000 miners lost their lives in explosions and
other accidents.
In the first half of this year, China reportedly recorded some 2,700 mining
fatalities, with the number of major accidents involving up to 29 fatalities
more than doubling over the same period in 2004.
As the world largest coal producer and consumer, China's coal consumption is
expected to increase by six percent this year to 2.1 billion tons, according to
the China Coal Industry Association
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