According to the data reported by the Coal Trade Center of Taiyuan, China (CTCTC) on July 2, Shanxi Province shipped 220 million mt of coal to markets outside the province during the first five months of 2010, up more than 45 million mt or 16.9 percent year on year. In particular, over 100 million mt of the figure came from major coal mines, up 17 million mt or 13.8 percent year on year, while the remaining 120 million mt of coal came from other smaller coal mines, up 28.6 million mt or 19.4 percent year on year.
In April and May, which usually constitute the low season for the coal market, the domestic coal market in China continued its strong performance. According the data issued by the Qinghuangdao port authorities, the price of Shanxi quality mix (5,500 kcal.) reached RMB 765/mt ($113/mt, trimmed) on May 31. Meanwhile, although coal inventories at Qinghuangdao port increased rapidly from 4.61 million mt on May 3 to 6.23 million mt on May 31, no corresponding decline was seen in coal prices.
According to the CTCTC, it is expected that Shanxi Province will produce 670-700 million mt of coal in the current year, while the output for H1 is expected to be 330 million mt, up 22.2 percent year on year.