The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has recently published the catalogue of examined and approved coal mining areas to strengthen macro control of the coal industry, protect and develop coal resources reasonably and further standardize coal development order.

   NDRC said that the coal projects in the mining areas of the catalogue should be approved by NDRC or province-level NDRC branches.

   The 99 approved mining areas cover Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Xichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang.