On the edges of an old and depleted mine on the rugged outskirts of Pingdingshan in central China's Henan province, workers sift through dunes of low-grade coal, looking to extract every last calorie of energy from the city's crumbling seams
But despite an unexpected energy crunch that left authorities scrambling to guarantee coal supplies over the winter, it is still mostly business as usual for Henan's old mining regions.
But the government has been trying to restrain price rises to help struggling power plants build up stockpiles for the winter, which is expected to be one of the coldest in years. The state planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Two decades ago, private businessmen across China rushed to take advantage of an unprecedented boom in coal demand, building thousands of small mines. But the safety record was poor, with regular news items on state media about fatal accidents.
Annual production stood at 27 million tonnes by 2019, down from more than 30 million tonnes five years earlier, and the market was now reliant on a small number of state suppliers. "Right now, only the big mines are left," said Guo, the truck driver. "The small mines aren't producing anymore."Though watched carefully by security guards, the piles of surplus coal stored on the depleted hillsides of Pingdingshan have limited economic value. What can be sold can only be used in backyard workshops or burned for cooking and heating.
Many of Pingdingshan's mines are depleted, and though replacement capacity is still under construction, including an expansion project at Liangbei and a newly commissioned mine in the northern district of Xiadian, neither will be ready in time to take advantage of the price surge.
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