China National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has issued the first batch of coal export quota for 2008, amounting to 31.80 million tons, which was 25 percent less than last year's first batch quota of 42 million tons.

   Experts pointed out the restricting coal export is made on the  basis of the country's policy on energy protection, and such policy is expected to last for a long time. In recent years, China has take measures to reduce coal export by cutting export quota year by year.

   China's coal export quota topped 100 million tons in 2003, which was maintained at 80 million tons in the coming three years, and went down to 70 million tons in 2007.

   Experts forecast that the export quota will further drop by 17 million tons this year to about 53 million tons.

   NDRC has not published the names of enterprises which got the quota.

   Currently, companies which have the right of coal export include the China Coal Energy Co Ltd, the China Shenhua Corp Co Ltd, the Shanxi Coal Import and Export Corp, and the China Minmetals Corp.

   Sources with the China Coal Energy Co Ltd disclosed that it has got 13.10 million tons from the first batch export quota of coal, 41. 2 percent of the total.