Coal mines to merge in new plan

A large-scale restructuring of the coal industry in China's major coal-producing province of Shanxi, starting at the end of this month, will reduce accidents and improve efficiency by shutting down small coal mines, officials said.

"The restructuring this time is the largest after years of adjusting the coal industry's structure," Miao Huanli, planning section director of Shanxi provincial coal bureau, said yesterday.

The merging and reorganization plans submitted by all the 11 cities and districts of the province have been approved, he said.