According to Wang Shouzhen, director of the coal department of the government of the Chinese province of Shanxi, the province has shut down around 1,550 coal mines in recent years, eliminating total outdated coal production capacity of 200 million mt.
Accordingly, the number of coal mines in Shanxi has fallen to 1,053, from 2,600 in 2008.
In 2011, Shanxi Province will invest RMB 60 billion ($9.2 billion) in the restructuring and integration of coal mines in the province, and will invest RMB 15 billion ($2.3 billion) in building new mines and in renovating and expanding old mines.