China’s Coal Conundrum

This report by Global Energy Monitor examines China's coal mining sector, highlighting a record-breaking production of 4,700 million tonnes in 2023 and a massive pipeline of proposed new capacity. It details the environmental impact, specifically the sector's role as a primary source of global coal mine methane emissions, and analyzes the tension between China's energy security needs and its 'dual-carbon' climate goals.

• China's coal production reached a record high of 4,700 million tonnes (Mt) in 2023, contributing over 50% of the global total. Large-scale mines with a capacity of 1 Mtpa or more are the primary drivers, producing approximately 3,881 Mt annually, which is nearly double the combined output of India, Indonesia, and Australia.
• China is developing approximately 1,280 Mtpa of new coal capacity across fourteen provinces, representing nearly half of the global proposed capacity and more than double India's planned capacity for million-tonne scale mines (approximately 530 Mtpa). About 80% (1,022 Mtpa) of these proposals are greenfield developments.
• China's operating coal mines emit 52,726 million cubic meters (MCM) of methane annually (approximately 35 Mt), accounting for roughly 70% of the global total for mines of similar size. If mines with capacities of 0.6 Mtpa and above are included, emissions could reach 60,036 MCM/yr (40 Mt/yr).
• Methane emissions are heavily concentrated in Shanxi province, which contributes 32% of China's total (17,325 MCM/yr or 12 Mt/yr). This is largely due to the prevalence of deep underground mines extracting bituminous and anthracite coal. Underground mining overall accounts for roughly 93% of the country's total coal mine methane emissions.
• The top ten state-owned enterprise (SOE) producers control about 40% of national production capacity (roughly 1,500 Mtpa). These SOEs are also the primary methane emitters, with the top ten accounting for 20,984 MCM/yr (14 Mt/yr). China Energy is the largest producer, extracting 473 Mt annually from million-scale mines.
• China is the world's largest coal importer, with record imports of 474 Mt in 2023, accounting for over a third of total global imports. Indonesia was the leading supplier in 2023, providing 220 Mt (46% of total imports), followed by Russia (102 Mt) and Mongolia (70 Mt).
• Coal production is geographically concentrated, with Shanxi (1,226 Mtpa) and Inner Mongolia (1,201 Mtpa) together accounting for over 50% of national output and nearly one-third of global capacity. Other major producers include Shaanxi (686 Mtpa), Xinjiang (392 Mtpa), and Anhui (130 Mtpa).

APA

Mei, D., Feng, W., & Peng, J. (2024). China’s Coal Conundrum. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-China-Coal-Mines-Sept-2024_11.pdf

Chicago

Mei, Dorothy, Wynn Feng, and James Peng. China’s Coal Conundrum. Global Energy Monitor, 2024. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-China-Coal-Mines-Sept-2024_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mei |first1=Dorothy |last2=Feng |first2=Wynn |last3=Peng |first3=James |title=China’s Coal Conundrum |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=September 2024 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-China-Coal-Mines-Sept-2024_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mei2024chinas, author = {Mei, Dorothy and Feng, Wynn and Peng, James}, title = {{China’s Coal Conundrum}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-China-Coal-Mines-Sept-2024_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }