(Nasdaq, Oct 25, 2006)- China's September coal output rose 9.1% from a year earlier to 192.8 million metric tons, the latest data released by the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, or SACMS, showed.

China produced 1.57 billion tons of coal in the January-September period, up 8.4% from a year earlier, the data showed.

The coal output figures from SACMS are higher than that from the National Bureau of Statistics, partly because the two agencies use different methodologies to compile data. The SACMC's data are closely followed by the industry.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's coal output rose 12.50% to 181.3 million tons in September, while January-to-September coal output totaled 1.48 billion tons, up 11.70% from the same period a year earlier.

The SACMS didn't provide any reason for the growth in coal output, but robust demand from coal-fired power plants could be a major reason.

China's electricity production from coal-fired power plants rose 19.5% to 197.2 billion kilowatt-hours in September.

Electricity produced by coal-fired power plants accounts for 80% of China's total electricity production.

In 2005, China produced 2.11 billion tons of coal, retaining its position as the world's top coal-producing nation.

Source:Nasdaq