The Shanxi Coking Coal (Group) Co signed a cooperation agreement with the China Datang Corp, in Taiyuan, the Shanxi provincial capital, on August 8, marking a great step forward in the coal-electricity integration of the province.

This is Shanxi's fourth coal-electricity joint venture project, the other three being the Zhangze Power Co coming out of the Datong Coal Mine Group, the Jinneng Group out of a merger of the Shanxi Coal Transportation and Sales Group and the Shanxi International Electricity Group, and the joint Lu'an Group and Geneng International Co venture.

China Datong and Shanxi Coking Coal are among the world's top 500, with China Datong's total installed capacity reaching 113.8 million kW by the end of 2012, while Shanxi Coking Coal, one of China’s 14 largest coal bases, has the largest number of coal types, making it an excellent coal supplier for China.

The two parties will cooperate on an equal basis with winning results, they say, and, according to the agreement, Shanxi Coking Coal will help in restructuring four power plants belonging to China Datong to their respective advantages, creating a new form of coal-electricity cooperation.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw