Lin Wu, governor of Shanxi province, addresses the opening ceremony of the 2021 China Coal Transaction Conference and China Taiyuan Coal Trade Fair, on Dec 8. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The 2021 China Coal Transaction Conference and China Taiyuan Coal Trade Fair opened on Dec 8 in Taiyuan -- capital city of North China's coal-rich Shanxi province.

The three-day event is being hosted by China National Coal Association and being attended by interested national ministries and commissions, provincial coal industry departments, coal producers, other companies engaged in coal  transportation, sales and consumption, as well as industry associations and institutions.

It aims to build a platform for exchanges and increase business between coal industry-related enterprises, and consolidate the achievements of coal supply-side structural reforms. 

In addition, the fair aims to innovate and modernize the coal market trading system and promote the high-quality development of the coal industry, ensuring a safe and stable supply of energy. 

Lin Wu, governor of Shanxi, said at the opening ceremony that in recent years, the province had made positive changes in energy concepts, systems and efficiency.

The province had achieved a substantial reduction of excess production capacity, improved its advanced coal production capacity and promoted green coal mining.

The governor said clean and new energy industries had grown rapidly and major breakthroughs had been made in management reforms of the unconventional natural gas sector, as well as of electricity price mechanisms for strategic emerging industries and provincial-owned energy enterprises.

Lin urged participating companies to strengthen their long-term and stable strategic cooperation. This will, he said, ensure the orderly connection of coal production, transportation and sales, promote the smooth operation of the national coal market and facilitate national energy security, as well as help Shanxi promote the high-quality development of its coal industry.

At the opening ceremony, upstream and downstream coal enterprises signed medium and long-term contracts involving 740 million metric tons of coal and strategic cooperation agreements. 

Around 30 coal-related trading, logistics and financial activities will be held during the event, which runs until Dec 10.