China mined 370 million metric tons (mt) of coal in August, according to the Chinese Bureau of Statistics. That compares with 373 million mt in July and 335 million mt in August of 2021, according to Channel News Asia. Year to date, China has produced 2.93 billion mt of coal, an 11% increase over the same period last year. The 442 coal mines in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia were operating at an average capacity of 82% in August. Coal-fired power generation has climbed to a near-record level of 9.89 terrawatt-hours on August 20, according to data analytics consultancy Kayrros, as a heatwave hit most of the country, stoking air-conditioning demand, while hydropower generation was curbed by severe drought. Statistics bureau showed China’s total power generation in August had reached a record high of 824.8 billion kilowatt-hours.
