East China’s Shandong province saw its raw coal output grow modestly last year, the latest official data showed.<br /> <br /> In 2013, the province produced 152 million tonnes of raw coal in total, rising 4.2% from a year ago and staying around 150 million tonnes for the tenth year in a row, according to the provincial coal bureau.<br /> <br /> Shandong produced 80 million tonnes or 52.6% of the total from coal mines outside the province, steady year on year, with the remaining 72 million tonnes from local mines.<br /> <br /> The profit in the coal sector slumped 62% from the preceding year to 8 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) in the past year, influenced by continuously sliding prices amid weak demand.<br /> <br /> Though having only less than 2% of the country’s total coal reserves with a mine life of 20 years, Shandong has acquired more than 70 billion tonnes of coal resources in 12 other provinces.<br /> <br /> <p> In a move to optimize mining operations, the province will focus on mines development in Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and Shanxi, keep moderate pace in Yunnan and Guizhou, and get well prepared for the start of mining in Xinjiang, according to Qiao Naichen, the head of the bereau. </p> <p style="text-align:center;"> <img src="/upfiles/news/image/20140110/20140110163736_3705.jpg" alt="" /> </p>