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Transforming China’s coal mines: A case history of the Shuangliu Mine

David Creedy, Wang Lijie, Zhou Xinquan, Liu Haibin and Gary Campbell

Abstract
China is the largest coal producer and the largest coal consuming country in the world. Approximately half of China’s coalcomes from small-scale mines. The sustainability of China’s coal industry would be improved if a greater share of the coalcome from larger-scale mines. This article presents a case history of the Shuangliu Mine in Shanxi Province and discussesthe issues and benefits of the transformation of this mine. Significant gains were observed in worker safety and benefits, andin more efficient exploitation of the coal resource. Problems included loss of employment opportunities for local labourers,and reduced revenue for local townships. The wider implications of a shift of China’s coal supply from small-scale to largescalemining operations are discussed in relation to economic, social and environmental aspects.

Keywords: China coal industry; Sustainability.

• Coal production needs to be as efficient as po

ssible to getthe maximum benefit from its use, both today and in thefuture.
• Enough revenue and economic opportunity from coalproduction needs to be retained in the area of productionto provide capital for investment and economic growthadequate to replace the value of the extracted coal.
• The human potential of the mine’s employees needs tobe improved through training, wages and benefits, andadequate safety provisions.
• The environment needs to be protected.A key aspect of achieving sustainability in coal mining inChina relates toaddressing mine organization. Coal minesin China are traditionally classified in terms of size andownership: key (large) state-owned coal mines (KSOCM);state-owned local coal mines (SOLCM); and small-scale
township and village coal mines (TVCM). In 2002, therewere 119 KSOCM each producing on average 598,300 tonsannually; nearly 2,000 SOLCM each producing on average132,000 tons annually; and 32,000 TVCM each producingon average 13,000 tons of coal annually. In 2002, KSOCMsprovided 51% of China’s coal production, the SOLCM providedanother 19%, and the TVCM accounted for the remaining30% of coal production. Table 1 shows total coalmine output in China under the different categories forselected years from 1980 to 2004.Since the late 1990s, China’s Central Government hasendeavoured to increase the output share of key state-ownedcoal mines (KSOCM). Table 1 shows that the output share
1. IntroductionChina is the largest coal producer in the world (1,956 Mt1in 2004) and was, until recent restrictions due to internalsupply shortages, the second largest exporter of coal in the
world (70.4 Mt in 2002 to Korea, Japan, and Taipei). China
is also the largest consumer of coal (1,531 Mt in 2003),accounting for approximately one third of the world’s totalannual consumption. More than half of China’s coal is usedto generate over three quarters of the national electricitysupply. Clearly, the sustainable use of its coal resources isof vital importance not only for China, but also for the restof the world.
China depends on its extensive coal resources for muchof the energy it needs for economic development. The sustainableuse of these resources requires that several conditionsbe met:
David Creedy is a consultant on coal mining related issues from theUnited Kingdom.本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。