Source: China Coal News Henan Province has made significant strides in upgrading its coal mining sector, with 33 intelligent coal mines, 406 smart mining faces, and 76 other intelligent subsystems now in operation, according to a recent teleconference on coal mine safety.
Source: China Coal News
Henan Province has made significant strides in upgrading its coal mining sector, with 33 intelligent coal mines, 406 smart mining faces, and 76 other intelligent subsystems now in operation, according to a recent teleconference on coal mine safety. The province's coal mines meeting first-level safety production standards now account for 55% of the total capacity of all compliant mines. Henan's major initiative, the "5G + 'Small, Fast, Flexible' Approach," which accelerates the smart transformation and digitalization of its coal mines, won first place in the 7th National "Blossom Cup" 5G Application Contest.
In 2024, Henan produced 103 million tons of raw coal, marking a 1.6% increase from the previous year. Between January and November 2024, the province's coal mining and washing industry generated 128 billion yuan in revenue, accounting for 2.9% of the total industrial revenue in Henan. The sector also posted a profit of 8.093 billion yuan, or 4.7% of the province’s total industrial profits. Furthermore, fixed asset investment grew by 5% year-on-year. As of now, Henan employs 195,000 coal workers, with the average annual income of employees in key coal enterprises reaching 81,000 yuan, a 4.1% increase over the previous year.
Looking ahead to 2025, Henan plans to reduce its mining levels by 17, cut 26 mining faces, and decrease the number of underground workers by 4,900. By the end of 2026, the province aims to complete 25 high-quality, provincial-level intelligent coal mines, install over 270 intelligent mining faces, and establish more than 300 intelligent subsystems. The goal is for large coal mines to be largely transformed into intelligent mines, with the capacity of smart coal mines accounting for no less than 60% of the total coal mining capacity in the province.
Henan also mandates that coal mines with annual production capacities below 300,000 tons be upgraded or closed. If these mines fail to reach the 300,000-ton threshold following upgrades by the end of 2026, they will be required to exit the industry. Currently, 35 coal mines in Henan have capacities below 300,000 tons per year. A detailed implementation plan for their closure or upgrading will be submitted by the end of March 2025.