China shuts only undersea coal mine amid production rebound

BEIJING – China is shutting down its only undersea coal mine as the government struggles to rein in rising production that threatens to frustrate a planned shift to cleaner-burning fuels.

The state-run Global Times said Wednesday the Beizao coal mine in Shandong Province will be shut down in October and 1,580 employees transferred to new jobs.

China is the world’s largest coal consumer. Pollution from the fuel is a major contributor to smog that blankets many Chinese cities.

Government officials announced plans to shutter 1,000 mines in 2016. But data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows coal is rebounding this year with production up 9.9 per cent through April to 1.1 billion tons.

Japan, Britain and Canada also have operated undersea coal mines, which can be more expensive than conventional mines.