China will carry out special supervision on the construction of coal mines in major coal production areas in a move to further regulate mine projects and curb illegal activities, according to a document posted on the National Energy Administration (NEA)’s website on November 3.

This document, dated October 29, said all the coal mine projects either under construction or already finished construction will be ordered to stop, if they fail to obtain relevant licenses or gain approval for required procedures.

The NEA would establish a special team headed by Wu Xinxiong, director of the NEA, to coordinate and solve major issues found during inspections of coal mine projects.

Illegal mines refusing to comply with relevant requirements would not gain project approval from the NEA in the next 12 months, the document said.