Beijing, August 12 (QNA) - China has unveiled a plan to develop a modern coal industry by 2030, aiming to balance energy security with green transition.

The plan, issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, expected to account for 87 percent of China's total coal production capacity, while intelligent mines will make up 75 percent. The country's five major coal supply bases are expected to contribute more than 80 percent of national output, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

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

Despite China's accelerating shift towards green energy, coal remains a cornerstone of its energy security, with the country aiming to reach peak coal consumption by 2030 and increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 25 percent of total energy consumption.

China 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 also urges scaled-up development and utilization of coalbed methane, which offers multiple benefits, such as improving coal mine safety, boosting clean energy supply and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. (QNA)