BEIJING, Sept 14 (Askume) – China’s coal output rose 2.8% year-on-year in August, driven by a rise in thermal power generation and strong demand from the chemical industry, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
The world’s largest coal producer mined 396.55 million tonnes of the fuel last month, according to data from the National Statistical Office on Saturday. Output rose from 390.37 million tonnes in July.
July was China’s hottest month on record , and the heat wave continued into August, boosting electricity demand and forcing homes and businesses to turn on their air conditioners.
As hydropower generation declined, China’s thermal power generation also rose last month . China’s thermal power generation (mainly from coal) rose 3.7% year-on-year to 614.9 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Hydropower generation grew by 10.7%, compared to 36.2% in July.
Apart from the power industry, demand from coal and chemical industries is also strong, analysts said.
Data from the statistics bureau showed that output from January to August fell 0.3% year-on-year to 3.05 billion tonnes, due to the impact of safety inspections at the beginning of the year.
