China’s coal demand will peak in 2020, with the country needing approximately 4.7 billion tonnes. This forecast comes from Li Ruifeng, general manager of the Coal Industry Planning and Design Research Institute.
China's coal demand will increase by an average of 3.9% annually before 2020 and then decrease by approximately 0.43% annually, Li added.
Investment strategies
Li predicted that annual coal demand would fall to 4.56 billion t in 2030. He also advised coal producers to adjust investment strategies to cope with decreases in coal demand after 2020.
China's coal consumption experienced a slower growth of 2.6% year on year to 3.61 billion t in 2013, according to data from the China National Coal Association.
Edited from various sources by Katie Woodward