China to shut down 117 small coal mines in Xinjiang

China plans to shut down 117 small coal mines in Xinjiang province this year, cutting 11.9 million tonnes of coal production capacity, the regional development and reform commission said.
These mines, along the Yili River Valley and northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, are mainly small mines with an annual output of less than 300,000 tonnes and those without mechanical mining or safe production conditions,the regional bureau of coal mine safety supervision said.
Xinjiang, which boasts of abundant coal resources, phased out 17 coal mines in 2016, reducing capacity by 2.4 million tonnes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The province is predicted to have 2.2 trillion tonnes of coal reserves and produced 150 million tonnes in 2016.