Two Departments Issue 15th Five-Year Coal Plan to Optimize West-East, North-South Transport Systems

The National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration have recently issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Coal Industry Development. The plan calls for continued optimization of the West-to-East Coal Transport and North-to-South Coal Transport systems to enhance cross-regional coal shipping capacity.

On regional supply layout, supply to the southeast coastal areas will rely mainly on the Shanxi, western Inner Mongolia and northern Shaanxi bases, with coal moved through the Daqin, Shuohuang and Wari corridors to northern ports for onward shipment, while imported coal will be used judiciously to secure supply. The Two Lakes and One River region, comprising Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi, will draw primarily on the Haoji and Jiaoliu corridors and the rail-water intermodal network for deliveries from the western Inner Mongolia, northern Shaanxi and Shanxi bases.

The northeast will be supplied mainly by the eastern Inner Mongolia base, with smaller volumes coming from western Inner Mongolia and Shanxi. The southwest will rely primarily on regional production, with a portion delivered via the Xikang and Lanzhou-Chongqing corridors from the northern Shaanxi and western Inner Mongolia bases, and will steadily raise the proportion of supplies drawn from the Xinjiang base.