China's work safety agency denied claims that current coal shortage was due to the closure of small, illegal pits.

"China is not short of coal as the country turned out 2.53 billion tons last year, a rise of 8.2 percent year on year. Output could jump by 3.3. percent this year", said Huang Yi, spokesman for the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS).

The campaign against the illegal collieries is aimed at those without production permits and working under risky conditions. The shut-down of 11,155 small coal mines in the past two years means the elimination of that number of potential pit tragedies, said Huang in an online interview with www.ce.cn on Friday.

Among the suspended collieries, 7,000 to 8,000 have merged with larger mines. The output of small coal mines still accounts for one-third of the national total, or near 900 million tons, the same share before the reshuffle, said the spokesman.

The current coal supply strain is temporary and regional, according to Huang.

The heavy snow that has fallen since mid-January, the worst in 50 years in much of China, has paralyzed transportation, frozen the power grid and caused serious economic losses. Up to 17 provinces experienced blackouts in the snow-hit areas.

Coal mines nationwide are urged to beef up production to ensure power coal supply in the disaster-hit regions. The government has also ordered the railway system to give top priority to power coal transport.

Power supply and coal reserves continued to resume in China. Reserves of coal for power generation increased 800,000 tonnes to 25.2 million tonnes on Thursday, equaling 13 days' supply for the country's power plants, said the Disaster Relief and Emergency Command Center under the State Council on Friday night.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2008)