The Information Office of the Shanxi Provincial Government held a press conference on Aug 14 to introduce the progress of promoting the green transformation of the energy industry in the coal-rich province. 

In the first half of this year, the output of raw coal from enterprises above the designated size – those with annual sales revenue of more than 20 million yuan ($2.75 million) – reached 678 million metric tons, accounting for 29.48 percent of the national total output, maintaining its position as the top producer in China. 

By the end of June, the construction of 46 intelligent coal mines and 1,161 intelligent mining faces had been completed, and the advanced coal production capacity accounted for 80 percent of the total coal production capacity. Several green mining pilot demonstration mines had been established to explore and practice green mining technologies. 

The province has promoted the integrated development of unconventional natural gas production, supply, storage, and sales. The complete industrial chain now encompasses all aspects of the process, including exploration to subsurface extraction, transport and logistics, equipment manufacturing, engineering technology, and end-use of unconventional natural gas. 

The province's unconventional natural gas production reached 6.82 billion cubic meters in the first half of 2023, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.7 percent. Optimization and the smooth operation of natural gas pipelines linking Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has been achieved. The Shenmu-Anping coalbed methane pipeline project has been fully completed, with a total pipeline length exceeding 9,000 kilometers. 

The development of new energy and clean energy has been accelerated comprehensively. By the end of June, the proportion of installed capacity for new and clean energy reached 42.9 percent, and electricity generation from new and clean energy accounted for 26.8 percent of the province's total. 

Shanxi has also sped up the construction of a national green coking industry base. All 4.3-meter Coke ovens will be eliminated and replaced by dry quenching/processing by the end of the year. The annual capacity of high-purity hydrogen produced from coke ovens gas and chemical tail gas has reached 30,000 tons. 

In addition, the province has made efforts to build world-class coal-based scientific and technological innovation transformation bases. Currently, the province possesses six national-level platforms in the energy sector, 23 provincial key laboratories, 17 provincial technology innovation centers, and eight new research and development institutions.