Northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region posted 324 million tonnes of coal output in the first half of 2010, an increase of 38.23 million tonnes or 13.4 percent as compared with a year earlier, reporters learned from the regional Coal Safety Supervision Bureau.

Of that, the coal output from key state-owned coalmines hit 212 million tonnes in the first six months, rising 20.60 million tonnes or 10.8% from a year ago.

And the production reached 21.80 million tonnes at local coalmines, a rise of 2.60 million tonnes or 13.5% year on year, while it totaled 90.20 million tonnes at township coalmines, up by 15.03 million tonnes or 20.0%.

The increased coal output is mainly attributed to resources consolidation launched out earlier in 2005 in Inner Mongolia, shutting down more than 2000 small coalmines.

Inner Mongolia reduced its number of small coalmines to 501 from the previous 2009, each with above one million tonnes production capacity.