China 's coal production reached 297 billion tonnes in May , a year - on - year hike of 20 % and the highest growth since December 2017 , according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics . It total coal production for the first five months of 2018 had risen 4 % to 1.4 billion tonnes compared with last year , citing more use of air - conditioning during winters in the south and higher power consumption by coal as the reason behind the increase .
China's coal production reached 297 million tonnes in May, a year-on-year hike of 3.5% and the highest level since December 2017, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. It revealed coal production for the first five months of 2018 had risen 4% to 1.4 billion tonnes compared with last year, citing more use of air-conditioning during heatwaves in the south and higher power consumption by industry as the reasons behind the increase.