This year, Inner Mongolia will also step up the clean and efficient use of coal, Wang said.

Exports would recover slowly because of the global economic downturn, according to the newspaper.

China launched an energy revolution pilot program in Shanxi in 2019, promoting the coal-rich province to explore energy transition.

Power consumption data can reflect situations of enterprises' production and economic operation, and thus become a key barometer of economic activity, experts said.

China aims to have its CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Last year, Shanxi provided 620 million tonnes of thermal coal for another 24 provincial-level regions in China, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

Dutch chess player Anish Giri won the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023 in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands on Sunday.

China's raw coal output posted stable expansion in December 2022, official data showed.