China, the world’s biggest coal miner and consumer, produced 734.23 million tonnes of the fuel during the January-February period, up from 686.6 million tonnes in the same period in 2022, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

That’s equivalent to 12.44 million tonnes per day, down from 12.99 million tonnes per day in December, as coal mines lowered operation rates or even shut down during the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, which fell in late January this year.

Miners ramped up output in anticipation of improving demand following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions at the end of last year.