TAIYUAN – North China's coal-rich province of Shanxi is eyeing a continuous increase in its coal output this year, following last year's growth of 8.7 percent.

The province set this year's target at more than 1.37 billion tons of raw coal, compared with its 1.31 billion tons in coal output in 2022.

In the first two months of 2023, the province's raw coal output reached 215 million tons, an increase of 10.4 percent year-on-year, accounting for about 29 percent of the country's total in the same period, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

The provincial authority said that without compromising workplace safety, Shanxi has continued to release its coal production capacity in accordance with the country's demand for energy supply.

Shanxi accounts for 23 percent, which is the largest proportion, of China's national coal reserve of 207.9 billion tons, based on an official report issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2022.