Interfax reported for the first six months of the year, total coal output produced by the major state-owned coal mines was 394.78 million tonnes, a 13.9% year-on-year rise. Local state-owned coalmines achieved 134.28 million tonnes and the township coal mines produced 204.35 million tons.

 

The Shanxi province was the major producer, having leaped 29% year-on-year, up to 38.27 million tonnes for the first half of this year.

 

Business Daily reported the north-west province sold 37.58 million tonnes this year, up 23% on 2002 figures.

 

So far, average monthly sales volumes have hovered around the 6.5 million tonne mark.

 

Much of the sales have been fuelled by domestic consumption with the province having already received 1.725 million tonnes of orders from other regions this year.

 

Business Daily said the state-owned coal companies and local coal mines had reported a sharp rise in coal sales volumes with nine of the 10 leading State-owned collieries in Shanxi surpassing their sales targets through utilisation of the region’s railway.