According to the relevant notice on the elimination of backward production capacities in the coal industry in 2012 released by the National Energy Administration (NEA) of China, 625 backward or dated coal mines are to be eliminated in the whole of the current year, totaling 23.47 million mt of annual coal production capacity.
In 2011, China closed down 407 backward coal mines and eliminated 24.63 million mt of backward production capacity, equivalent to 133 percent and 155 percent of the respective targets. Meanwhile, in the given year the output share of small-scale coal mines with annual capacities lower than 300,000 mt was reduced to 20 percent of the total domestic coal output.
According to the development plan for China's coal industry for the 12th five-year plan period, by the end of 2015 the number of Chinese coal enterprises will be limited to below 4,000, while the average annual capacity will increase to 1 million mt per year. Meanwhile, 10 100 million mt capacity and 10 50 million mt capacity large-scale coal enterprises are planned to be established, with their coal output expected to account for 60 percent of the total output in China.