As a province that used to rely heavily on coal mining, Shanxi in North China is now diversifying its economy through industrial reform.

Most cities in the three Chinese regions with the worst air quality beat their air pollution control targets from October to March, in sharp contrast with their poor performance in the previous heating supply season.

China's major coal producer Yanzhou Coal Mining Co., Ltd. said Thursday that its net profit saw a 9.6 percent rise in 2019.

The seaborne thermal coal market is oversupplied by around 40mn t and a demand-supply imbalance could persist for much of this year as the Covid-19 pandemic dents economic activity.

Australia's coal industry is reviewing plans for expansion and sustaining capital expenditure as they attempt to conserve cash amid fears that coal prices will return to a long period of historical lows below those seen in 2015-16.

"More closures would be necessary, as demand shows little sign of recovery," said one US mining firm.

Overall Russian coal output fell in the first quarter of this year, but some coking coal mining firms raised output.

Gladstone, DBCT, Hay Point and Abbot Point operated at a combined utilisation rate of just 75pc in 2019 and the distribution was uneven.