New | China aims to reduce coal reliance in next five-year plan

The mainland will rely less on coal in its energy strategy for the 2016-20 period, with less polluting fuels set to dominate, a government official said.

The next five-year plan, expected to be unveiled next year, would reflect the mainland leadership's ambition to cut the country's dependency on coal, Fang Junshi, the head of the National Energy Administration's coal department, told an industry event.

"Hydro, oil, gas and new energy will dominate in China's energy development over the next five years. Growth in coal will be secondary," Fang said. "There is limited potential for coal-fired power, iron and steel, and chemical industries to grow."

The mainland had closed down 5,920 coal mines over the past four years, he added.

China is the world's biggest coal consumer, accounting for about half the world's coal use, but industry estimates indicate that consumption dropped last year for the first time in more than a decade.

The government aims to bring the share of coal in total energy consumption down to below 62 per cent by 2020 from an estimated 64.2 per cent last year.