Province plans to close 7 coal mines

The northeastern province of Heilongjiang, a major coal production base in China, will shut down seven coal mines this year in response to a government capacity-cut drive, according to the National Energy Administration on Thursday. As of the end of July, production had been halted at five mines, the provincial economic planner told Wang Xiaolin, deputy head of the administration, during his recent research tour to the region, according to a statement released on the administration’s website.