31 May 2010 14:00

Shanxi

Shanghai. May 31 INTERFAX-CHINA - Shanxi Province's coal output is expected to hit 330 million tons in the first half of 2010, according to estimates made by the Shanxi Coal Industry Bureau (SCIB) on May 30.

The province produced 216.18 million tons of coal in the first four months of 2010 and output is expected to grow over the next few months as peak coal-consumption season approaches, SCIB said on May 30.

Two hundred million tons of the province's total output will be distributed to other parts of China via rail transport, the SCIB said.

Due to the shut down of a number of small coal mines, Shanxi Province produced only 615 million tons of coal in 2009, roughly one-fifth of China's total output for 2009.

Historically the leading coal producer in China, Shanxi Province was replaced by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as the largest domestic coal producer for 2009.

Shanxi's coal industry generated total revenues of RMB 376.6 billion ($55.14 billion) for 2009, contributing to nearly half of the province's gross domestic product (GDP) of RMB 736.6 billion ($107.85 billion) in the same year.

The decline in coal output dragged the province's GDP growth to 6 percent in 2009, making it the weakest performing province in China in economic terms. The country's national GDP grew at 8.2 percent last year.

Shanxi's coal output in the first quarter has GDP growth to 19.4 percent, the second highest among 31 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, SCIB said.

Shanxi's coal output in the first quarter bosted provincial GDP growth to 19.4 percent, the second highest among 31 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, SCIB said.

-VW