Advertisement
China caps capacity at coal mines at risk from ‘bumps’
- Bumps occur when rock and coal erupt from the side of a mine shaft or tunnel under pressure from overhead rock
- Production limit for at-risk mines set at 8 million tonnes a year
1-MIN READ1-MIN
China’s National Coal Mine Safety Administration said it has set a production cap of 8 million tonnes of coal a year for each mine deemed to be at risk from so-called bumps.
As part of the measure to improve safety, capacity expansion on such mines will also be banned once they are in operation, the safety watchdog said in a statement on Wednesday.
The announcement follows a coal mine accident in the eastern province of Shandong in October in which 21 people died. Coal mining safety in China remains poor, with several deadly accidents every year, despite frequent inspections and support from Beijing to improve conditions.
Advertisement
Bumps occur when rock and coal erupt from the side of a mine shaft or tunnel under pressure from overhead rock.
Advertisement
China has 400 million tonnes a year in coal mining capacity at risk for bumps, accounting for more than 11 per cent of the country’s total 3.53 billion tonnes of coal capacity, according to official data.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x