(Beijing) — China’s goal to reduce excess coal capacity will be far less ambitious this year — only 20% of last year’s target — because scaling back coal production is expected to be increasingly difficult due to rising prices and concerns over lost jobs.
The government aims to close down coal mines representing a combined annual production capacity of 50 million tons, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said in its directives for energy work in 2017, published Friday. The number is far less than the 250-million-ton goal set for last year.
(Source:Caixin)