Last year, Shanxi provided 620 million tonnes of thermal coal for another 24 provincial-level regions in China, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

This year, Inner Mongolia will also step up the clean and efficient use of coal, Wang said.

China aims to have its CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

The daily crude steel output stood at 1.93 million tonnes in early January, according to the China Iron and Steel Association.

Its output growth rates over the past two years far exceeded that of the three leading coal-producing regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia.

China's raw coal output posted stable expansion in December 2022, official data showed.

China launched an energy revolution pilot program in Shanxi in 2019, promoting the coal-rich province to explore energy transition.

Exports would recover slowly because of the global economic downturn, according to the newspaper.