China’s latest coal mine gets green light

China’s latest coal mine has passed its final safety inspection and is ready to start production. Once in operation the Weishe mine in Guizhou Province could produce 450,000 tons of […]

China’s latest coal mine has passed its final safety inspection and is ready to start production. Once in operation the Weishe mine in Guizhou Province could produce 450,000 tons of coal per year.

The mine which is operated by Seattle based L&L Energy was completed in February but has had months of safety inspections looking at issues such as ventilation, coal extraction methods and evacuation drills. The new safety standards were brought in by the HeZhang county government and the fact the mine has passed means it can start production almost immediately with an initial extraction rate of 150,000 tons per year.

Dr. Syd Peng L&L Director said: “The on schedule completion of the construction and safety inspections at Weishe, our first project with Union Energy, represents an important milestone in our relationship. We continue to work toward the effective execution of our consolidation strategy and intend to repeat the successes of Weishe as we seek to further upgrade our mining portfolio for expanded operations.”

China has had a poor safety record in mining with hundreds dying over the last couple of years. In the most recent incident earlier this month 16 miners were trapped after a shaft flooded in a mine in Hunan province. Five died the rest were eventually rescued after three days underground.

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