Blankenship had planned to increase Massey coal production for the coming year from 44 million tons to 56 million tons and so needed to add staff.
Separately, a government official said China would continue to rely on domestic coal production for most of its energy needs but was also looking to step up investment in renewable industries.
Gas prices have fallen more than 50% since 2008 , yet coal production for the electricity sector, which has been marching up fairly steadily for decades, remains 1 billion tons a year.
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The National Development and Reform Commission said coal production should resume as quickly as possible in Sichuan province, which accounts for 4 percent of the country's coal production, AP reported.
The deal includes 118 million tons of coal reserves, enough for 20 years of production, as well as a skilled workforce and state-of-the-art coal preparation and loadout facilities.
That larger war has some lawmakers drafting a plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions, others pushing for more nuclear power, and still more looking for developments in "clean coal" production.
Alpha Natural Resources is expected to produce 12.5 million metric tons of metallurgical coal for 2010, and 24.4 million metric tons of thermal coal from Eastern production.
In 1993, the government allowed private companies to mine for coal but only for captive use, as production from state-run companies was unable to meet domestic demand.
Australia accounts for almost two-thirds of global coking coal production.
China is undergoing a sweeping infrastructure build-out that has created an almost insatiable demand for coal, copper and iron ore (for steel production).
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Coal stocks fall into the energy sector even through the pivotal variable for earnings is demand for metallurgical grade coal which is tied to world steel production.
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Mines responsible for between 100 and 140 million tons of annual coking coal production are now under force majeure, representing as much as 40% of global supply.
The huge size of the Chinese industry now makes it a dominant force in both the global steel market and the market for production inputs such as iron ore and metallurgical coal.
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That's one promise he's kept: For the first time, coal is in decline, with production falling 6.5% since 2008, according to the EIA. Part of the reason is a shock from cheap natural gas.
Regardless, bragging rights for Number One go to Erdos and Inner Mongolia, with coal production outpacing Shanxi province in early 2009.
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Paying for electricity with coal brought in from Russia, they started financing steel production at the factory.
It also includes tax incentives for renewable-energy producers, grants for the development of coal-to-liquid plants and investment in biofuels production.
If you believe as I do that industrial production remains strong for the foreseeable future you want to overweight met coal plays like Peabody and Arch.
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Natural gas is a cleaner fuel than coal and crude oil and is becoming increasingly important with governments across the world encouraging the production and use of natural gas over coal and crude oil for energy generation.
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The government had denied any wrongdoing and said that it opted for allocating the blocks instead of auctioning them as it intended to increase the production of coal and maximizing profits wasn't its motive.
Not very long ago, coal bed methane, which currently accounts for almost 10% of all U.S. natural gas production, was considered too expensive for commercial production.
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