BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's energy watchdog has approved a coal mine project in Shaanxi Province, with a total investment of 4 billion yuan (565.77 million U.S. dollars).
The Xizhuo coal mine project in the Chenghe mining area will be located in Heyang County in the city of Weinan, according to the State Energy Administration.
The coal mine's annual production capacity will be 3 million tonnes.
The production capacity is made possible under a coal production capacity exchange scheme, which is part of China's efforts to boost energy structure transformation.
Coal imports increased 9.5 percent year on year to 251 million tonnes in the first nine months of this year, data from the General Administration of Customs showed Monday.
Domestic coal output reached 3.68 billion tonnes in 2018, according to data from the National Coal Mine Safety Administration.
Coal accounts for a major part of China's energy consumption. As the country pushes green development and copes with climate change, authorities have been promoting clean energy and cut over-reliance on coal.
A single purchase
