The authorities in the Chinese province of Guizhou expect the province to produce 250 million mt of coal annually by 2015, in line with further increases in the number of mines and improvements in mining technology. Guizhou is a key province for coal production in southern China, with proven coal resource deposits at around 50.7 billion mt, ranked fifth in China, and with prospective reserves estimated at around 241.9 billion mt of coal.
Driven by strong market demand resulting from the implementation of China's West-to-East Electricity Transmission Project, annual coal output in Guizhou Province increased to 130 million mt in 2009, from 30 million mt recorded in 2000. The province's coal output figure is foreseen to reach 140 million mt for the current year.
The government of Giuzhou Province is targeting an annual gross output value for the local coal industry in excess of RMB 150 billion ($22.5 billion) by the end of the 12th five-year plan period (2011-2015), with annual coal output increasing to 250 million mt, with the aim of making the province a key industrial base for raw materials and energy in southern China. Accordingly, an estimated RMB 180 billion ($27 billion) will be invested in the construction of coal mines in Guizhou during the 12th five-year plan period.