Beijing to close all coal mines within 5 years

26 December 2016

Beijing municipality plans to close all the coal mines in the city within five years and gradually introduce new industries including healthcare, high technology and entertainment, the municipal government said on Tuesday.

Beijing will eliminate 6 million tons of coal production capacity and channel 11,615 employees to other posts within five years, realizing the goal of closing all its coal mines in the city, the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality said on its official Sina Weibo account.

“Closing coal mines is not enough for cutting production capacity. For the infrastructure of substitute industries in these areas, Beijing will provide 90 percent of the fixed-assets investment to support their upgrading and transformation,” an official from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform was quoted as saying in the statement.

A green ecological industry belt will be established in Beijing, which involves healthcare, leisure travel and new-energy industries.

The city achieved the goal of cutting coal production capacity of 1.8 million tons in 2016 by closing the Changgouyu coal mine in Fangshan district and the Wangpingcun coal mine in Mentougou district, according to the statement.

Source – Global Times