Coal mines with annual output of not more than 90,000 tonnes and those fail to meet safety rules and substandard quality coal will be targeted for the closures, according to Associated Press.
The government will tighten new coal mines approval and introduces a coal mines construction ban with annual capacity of less than 300,000t.
Additionally, the government will provide financial incentives offer and encourage big coal miners to take over smaller peers, in order to help closure of small coal mines as well as allocates more funds to areas where small pits are closed to support the upgrading of facilities.
Although safety improvements have reduced deaths in recent years, the regulations are still often ignored in China, which operates deep reserves of coal and 12,000 coal mines.
