On March 21, a new giant coal group called Shandong Energy Group was established in China's Shandong Province. The new group is an amalgamation of Shandong-based coal mining companies Xinwen Mining Group Co., Ltd, Zaozhuang Mining (Group) Co., Ltd, Zibo Mining Group Co., Ltd, Feicheng Mining Co., Ltd, Linyi Mining Co., Ltd and Longkou Mining Co., Ltd.
In recent years, annual coal output in Shandong Province has been in the range of 140-150 million mt. The combined annual output of the six abovementioned coal enterprises is 83 million mt, with the result that the new company Shandong Energy Group ranks among the top five coal enterprises in China.