China plans to close 1,000 small coal mines in 09

SHANGHAI, Feb 24 - China plans to close nearly 1,000 small coal mines in 2009 as part of a safety campaign and a drive to consolidate the industry, the State Administration of Work Safety said on its website (www.chinasafety.gov.cn).

China has long strived to improve its mine safety record, but many of its small mines are still dangerous and inefficient.

An explosion on Sunday killed 74 people at the Tunlan coal mine, which belongs to Shanxi Coking Coal Group, China's largest producer of coking coal, which is a key feed in the steel industry. [ID:nPEK280998]

Nearly two-thirds of China's coking coal supply comes from small mines, which have been blamed for the country's poor mine safety record.

The administration said last October that China would need to reduce the number of small mines by more than 4,000 in the next two years, to below 10,000.