Everyone's first impression of Shanxi is almost the same: Shanxi is a major coal province, with an annual coal output of nearly 1 billion tons.
Reserve distribution: According to the data of the Ministry of Natural Resources, China's total coal reserves in 2022 will be 20701.2 billion tons, a decrease of 8 from last year7.3 billion tons, of which the region with the richest coal reserves is Shanxi (23.).34%), Inner Mongolia (1986%), Xinjiang (1651%), Shaanxi (1406%), Guizhou (663%）。Production concentration: China's main coal production areas are concentrated in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, and Xinjiang provinces (regions), and the total coal output of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Mongolia and the new four provinces (regions) in 2022 will be 368.3 billion tons, accounting for 80 percent of the country's total coal output77%。The China Coal Association pointed out in the "Guiding Opinions on the High-quality Development of the Coal Industry in the 14th Five-Year Plan" that due to multiple factors such as seasonal changes in coal supply and demand patterns, unbalanced hydropower output, and unstable wind power and photovoltaic power, the overall relaxation of coal production capacity in the country coexists with the problems of regional, variety and time constraints.
Raw coal production: In 2022, the growth rate of raw coal production will be as high as 1049%。In 2023, the growth rate of China's raw coal production will decline rapidly, and as of November, the raw coal output will reach 423.9 billion tons, a year-on-year increase of 353%。Capacity approval: It generally takes 3-5 years for coal mines to be put into operation from approval to construction, and according to public information from the National Energy Administration and the National Energy Administration, the newly approved production capacity of coal mines in 2020-2022 is relatively limited. Planning documents: According to the mineral resources master planning documents of Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Shaanxi Province, by 2025, the annual output of coal in Shanxi Province will remain at 1.4 billion tons, the annual output of coal in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will be about 1 billion tons, and the coal output of Shaanxi Province will reach 7400 million tons. According to the plan, the total planned coal output of the three provinces (regions) of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Mongolia is 31400 million tons, a slight decrease from 2022.
Global coal demand shifts eastward in 2023: According to the IEA**, coal demand in China, India and Indonesia grew strongly in 2023 and is expected to grow by 2200 million tons, 09.8 billion tons and 03.1 billion tons, the European Union and the United States coal demand fell the most, and is expected to decrease by 1 year-on-year respectively0.7 billion tons and 09.5 billion tons, global coal demand shifts eastward in 2023. China's coal imports will increase in 2023: China's coal imports will be 29.3 billion tons, exports 00.4 billion tons, net imports 28.9 billion tons;Among them, imports decreased by 9 year-on-year29%, exports increased by 53% year-on-year85%。In 2023, China's economy will recover and resource imports will increase, and as of November, China has imported 42.7 billion tons, a year-on-year increase of 6278%。
However, as a major coal province in China, Shanxi faces challenges that cannot be ignored. First of all, the impact of coal mining on the environment is an issue that cannot be ignored, and secondly, with the development of new energy and the improvement of environmental protection requirements, the demand for coal may gradually decrease, which is a huge challenge for Shanxi's coal industry. 
In order to meet these challenges, Shanxi needs to take a series of measures. First of all, environmental protection should be strengthened to reduce the environmental damage caused by coal mining. At the same time, new coal mining technologies should be actively explored to improve coal utilization and reduce waste generation. Secondly, we should strengthen the transformation and upgrading of the coal industry and promote the development of the coal industry in the direction of high-end, intelligent and green. In addition, cooperation with other regions should be strengthened to promote the coordinated development of the coal industry and improve the competitiveness of the entire industry. In short, Shanxi, as a major coal province in China, faces some challenges, but also has great development potential and opportunities. By taking a series of measures to strengthen environmental protection and industrial transformation and upgrading, and promote the coordinated development of the coal industry, Shanxi will be able to achieve sustainable development and make greater contributions to China's economic development.