Yangquan city in Shanxi province plans to maintain coal production capacity at around 56 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) through the 15th "Five-Year Plan" period (2026-2030), while expanding renewable power and energy storage, according to a provincial government briefing.

The city will prioritise work safety while enhancing the resilience of coal and power supply, officials said at a news conference on March 20.

Yangquan aims to complete modern mines including Xishangzhuang and Kunning, keeping advanced capacity above 95% of total. It also plans to develop an integrated energy base combining wind, solar, thermal and storage, targeting 4.8 GW of renewable capacity and over 2 GW of energy storage by 2030.

The city will start construction of the second phase of the Yangguang power plant, a 2x1 GW high-efficiency coal unit replacing smaller ones, and upgrade existing coal-fired units at four plants. A pumped-storage project at Shangshe in Yu county and new-type storage pilots are also planned.

Yangquan will pursue technological innovation in intelligent coal mining, efficient use of low-calorific-value coal, comprehensive coalbed methane utilisation and molten salt heat storage, alongside piloting "AI plus coal mine governance" to improve safety and productivity.

Located in the northeast of the Qinshui coalfield in eastern Shanxi, Yangquan holds coal-bearing area of 1,835 square km with geological reserves of 17.3 billion tonnes, of which 1,051 square km and 10.2 billion tonnes fall within the city's administrative area.

Over 70% of the coal in the Yangquan mining area is low-sulfur, low-ash premium anthracite with ash content of 10-20%, sulfur of 0.5-0.7% and calorific value above 8,000 Kcal/kg, making it one of China's largest anthracite production bases.

The city currently operates 53 coal mines, producing 53.73 million tonnes of raw coal in 2025, according to the municipal government website.