BEIJING: China’s coal output rose 2.8% year-on-year in July as mines ramped up production to ensure steady supply during the month’s record-breaking heat, statistics bureau data showed on Thursday.

The world’s largest coal producer mined 390.37 million metric tons of the fuel last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, down from June’s 405.38 million tons, which was the highest level since December 2023.

China’s national energy regulator said late in July it was coordinating power plant coal inventories to keep them at a minimum of 200 million tons because of continuing hot weather.

Average daily coal output in July stood at 12.59 million tons, according to Reuters calculations, down from 13.5 million tons a day in June but up from 12.18 million daily tons a year earlier.

Analysts have said they expect China’s coal output to keep increasing through the third quarter on the hotter weather and as production recovers from a slump earlier in the year due to safety inspections.

Production was lower particularly in China’s coking coal hub of Shanxi province, which produced 29% of China’s coal last year. Output was limited there after the local government told miners to curb excess production and announced stepped-up safety checks over the March-May period. Output for January-July fell 0.8% from the year earlier to 2.66 billion tons, the statistics bureau data showed.