Beijing: China has unveiled a plan to develop a modern coal industry by 2030, aiming to balance energy security with green transition.

According to Qatar News Agency, the plan was issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration. It is expected that 87 percent of China's total coal production capacity will be accounted for, with intelligent mines making up 75 percent. The country's five major coal supply bases are projected to contribute more than 80 percent of national output.

The plan emphasizes actively promoting clean substitution for coal, significantly improving the quality of commercial coal, and accelerating the transformation and upgrading of coal-fired power generation. Additionally, it outlines an orderly expansion of coal use as an industrial feedstock.

Despite China's accelerating shift towards green energy, coal remains central to its energy security strategy. The country aims to reach peak coal consumption by 2030 while increasing the share of non-fossil fuels to 25 percent of total energy consumption.

China also aims to produce 26 billion cubic meters of coalbed methane and utilize 6.5 billion cubic meters of coal mine gas by 2030. The plan encourages the scaled-up development and utilization of coalbed methane, which offers benefits such as improving coal mine safety, boosting clean energy supply, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.