500+ Coal Mines Closed Down in China in First Half of 2015

According to a regular press conference of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), by the first half of 2015, 49 percent or over 500 of 1,131 proposed coal mines had been closed down. In the next period, small coal mines, gassy mines and outburst coal mines will still be the priority for rectification and closedown. Particularly outburst coal mines with an annual output of not more than 90,000 tons each must be closed by the end of this year.

"We expect all areas to seize the favorable opportunity of coal oversupply to establish elimination and exit mechanisms for unsafe coal mines, thus accomplishing the long safety of coal mines," said SAWS spokesman Huang Yi.

According to Li Wanchun, director of the Department of Statistics, SAWS, 21,900 of 29,000 potential safety hazards of oil and gas pipelines in China have been eliminated, 4,010 of 7,390 major potential hazards have been eliminated, and the rectification rate of 16 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities exceeds 80 percent. Next SAWS will strengthen organization and coordination, accelerate the treatment of potential hazards, intensify crackdown on illegal practices, and crack down on behavior such as haphazard drilling and excavation in third-party construction and oil stealing. This August, China will continue potential hazard screening, control and regulation in key industries such as coal mine, non-coal mine, oil and gas pipeline, and fire fighting.