Two large-scale coal mine construction projects in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, have received official approval from National Development and Reform Commission on Aug 28.

The approved projects, Xinjie Mine Shaft No 1 and Xinjie Mine Shaft No 2 are located in the Taigemiao mining area of Xinjie and are operated by Shenhua Xinjie Energy Co.

The mine shafts cover a combined mining area of 137.4 square kilometers, with a total resource reserves of 2.58 billion metric tons and an exploitable reserve of 1.40 billion tons. The primary coal type is non-caking coal.

With a total investment of 26.51 billion yuan ($3.73 billion), both mine shafts are designed with an annual production capacity of 8 million tons.

The longwall mining method is set to be employed, and coal preparation plants of the same scale are expected to be built for each mine shaft.

Since the launch of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Ordos has employed the strategic importance of coal as a "ballast stone" and "stabilizer" in the energy supply. This approach has been guided by the national coal supply and demand balance, with careful control over the intensity of coal mine development.

The construction schedule has been optimized based on actual environmental impacts, ecological restoration effects, and domestic supply and demand situation.