10 September 2013, the State Council released a new plan to tackle air pollution. The plan committed to reduce the percentage of coal in the total energy consumption in China to below 65% by the end of 2017. The three top economic regions, i.e. Jing-jin-ji, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta will strive to reach a negative growth rate in coal consumption.

12 September 2013,  Hebei government quickly followed this up by issuing a work plan on air pollution prevention and control to achieve the new goal set out in the national plan. The provincial plan said its coal consumption would be cut by 40 million tonnes by 2017.

Sources from the MEP of Guangdong stated that the Guangdong government is also planning to launch local regulations to tighten up coal fired power plants.

83% of China’s coal reserves lie in water stressed and scarce regions (see more from here). There is no doubt that any reduction in the consumption of coal will help to save and protect water resources. Premier Li Keqiang also said that China will not hesitate to close down backward production capacity to protect the environment. This together with the RMB4.5trn energy saving and environmental protection sectors, seems a strong signal for the miners to consider serious investments for aggressive water saving and waste water treatment (for more solutions here).