Xinjiang Ramps Up Coal Production
24 August 2009
Xinhua. China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region—which, with coal reserves of about 2,190 billion tonnes is estimated to have about 40% of China’s total coal reserves—will launch 139 large and medium-sized coal mines by 2010.
The regional government of Xinjiang had approved 139 projects in building new coal mines and restructuring small collieries in its 11th Five Year Plan period (2006-2010), which is expected to bring a joint annual output of 226 million tonnes as all the projects gradually reach full operation, according to the Coal Industry Administration of Xinjiang.
The coal output in Xinjiang hit nearly 67.7 million tonnes in 2008 and the amount is expected to reach 80 million tonnes this year and 100 million tonnes in 2010.
Given all the allegations that carbon dioxide buildup in our atmosphere is causing all kinds of problems (i.e. acidification of oceans), China's decision to turn full-tilt to more and more coal mining is bad news. I wish they would do better with their nuclear power program. Of course we Americans should be using more nuclear power too!
Posted by: Alex Kovnat | 24 August 2009 at 03:00 AM
When you want the power tomorrow, you mine more coal. How much CO2 is prevented from going into the air by the various US states biofuel laws and Federal ethanol mandates. Jobs have gone to China, CO2 production has gone to China and money has gone to China. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 24 August 2009 at 08:16 AM
You can't expect all new power generation to come from renewable energy. I wish they could. They simply do not have the per capita wealth. But their per capita GDP greenhouse gas emissions are declining and renewable energy percentage is increasing.
Posted by: Peace Hugger | 24 August 2009 at 04:52 PM
The problem peacehugger is that everyone keeps forgetting the amount of corruption and distortion present in both china and india and many other developing nations. They likely already went waaay past the us on co2 and everything else 5 years ago.
Posted by: wintermane2000 | 26 August 2009 at 04:27 AM