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A Look Back at 10 Years of High-Quality Development at China National Coal Group Pingshuo Company. Author/Source: Date: 2022-10-13. Clicks: 276. Under the scorching sun, at the Pingshuo East Open-Pit Mine, which is the largest mining operation under China National Coal Energy Group Co., Ltd., 14 heavy electric excavators and hundreds of heavy equipment such as dump trucks with a capacity of 200–300 tons work in close coordination under the centralized control of an intelligent control center, operating at full capacity to carry out production tasks. “August is a critical period for coping with the peak summer demand. Focusing on ensuring a stable supply, we strive to maximize coal output while maintaining safe production conditions; 20 pieces of equipment are used for coal production each day, resulting in an average daily output of over 70,000 tons, for a total of 2.03 million tons of coal produced throughout the month. From January to August, raw coal production increased by over 3.4 million tons year-on-year. ”Shao Bin, the chief engineer of the Dong Open-pit Mine of China Coal Pingshuo Group, explained. “Compared to a decade ago, our mineral production capacity has increased from 20 million tons to 25 million tons at present. Production capacity has increased, work efficiency has improved, and our revenue has risen as well. Today, the Dongluo Open-Pit Mine remains the key mine for Pingshuo and China National Coal Group! ”Speaking of the changes in the coal mine over the years, the workers there show confidence on their faces. Comprehensive planning to accelerate the development of a modern energy system: Pingshuo Group is actively pursuing supply-side structural reforms, focusing on improving the quality of its coal production operations; the scale of coal production remains stable at around 80 million tons. By means of coordinated open-pit mining, precise mining, refined processing, hierarchical conversion, and staged utilization, resource recovery is maximized, with an open-pit mine resource recovery rate of 96.2% and an underground mine face recovery rate of 85%. In 2021, the Pingshuo Group fulfilled 20% of Shanxi Province’s supply guarantee requirements using less than 10% of the province’s total production capacity. Over the past decade, the Pingshuo Group has produced approximately 900 million tons of raw coal in total, exported around 750 million tons of commercial coal, and paid taxes amounting to about 57.1 billion yuan. For many years in a row, it has been one of the largest tax payers in Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, where the company is located, making significant contributions to the development of the country’s economy and society. On the basis of strengthening and refining coal production, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, Pingshuo Group actively integrated itself into the development strategies of Shanxi Province to establish a comprehensive reform pilot zone for the transformation of a resource-based economy, Shuozhou City’s efforts to become an energy-friendly city, and China National Coal Group’s goal of becoming a world-class energy enterprise. Using coal as the foundation, the group accelerated the transformation and upgrading of its industries, shifting from simple coal production to a circular development model that combines coal, electricity, and chemical industries. This led to the creation of an industrial structure centered on coal, with electricity and chemicals playing supporting roles, and supported by ecological considerations for sustainable development. At present, the Pingshuo Group owns 3 extra-large open-pit mines with an annual production capacity of over 20 million tons each, 6 underground mines, 6 coal washing plants, and 4 railway lines with a total transport capacity of 100 million tons. It also has coal and power generation facilities under its control or shareholding, with a combined capacity of 6.73 million kilowatts ； A coal chemical enterprise has been built with a designed annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of synthetic ammonia, 580,000 tons of ammonium sulfate, and 150,000 tons of dilute nitric acid. It ranks among the top in the industry in terms of various indicators, and has become one of China’s major thermal coal bases as well as a coal production base capable of producing 100 million tons per year. “During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Pingshuo Group will firmly grasp the future development trends of the coal industry in the context of the \"dual carbon\" goals, continue to accelerate its transformation and upgrading, and promote the coordinated development of coal, electricity, chemicals, new energy, as well as various elements within the ecological industry chain. It will focus on establishing three key bases: a core coal production base, a coal-electricity integration base, and a high-end coal chemical industry base, with the aim of building a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy system. Creating Quality through Intelligence: Automation Drives New Progress in Coal Mine Development \"Start transportation!\" ” With the simultaneous activation and coordinated operation of driverless trucks and other related equipment, the intelligent handling of typical tasks such as loading, transporting, and unloading is now being fully realized; dispatchers can take control from a distance with just a simple mouse click. This is a scene of production scheduling at the centralized control center of the Dong Open-pit Mine. In 2021, the Pingshuo East Open-pit Mine became **one of the first intelligent demonstration open-pit coal mines**. In September, China’s first unattended drilling rig was successfully upgraded at the Dong Open-pit Mine and put into trial operation on site. To date, the Pingshuo Group has completed the coordinated operation of 5 driverless trucks, excavators, and auxiliary equipment, as well as the debugging of a remote control system for 2 driverless trucks. By combining manned and driverless devices in operations, it is possible to quickly address potential faults in emergency situations and enhance system safety. This project has now become a leading model in China that demonstrates the capability for regular coordinated operation in real-world scenarios. “This year, the goal is to achieve operating 3 drilling rigs with 1 operator in the unmanned drilling rig project. ”Shao Bin, the chief engineer of the Dong Open-pit Mine, explained that previously one drilling rig required two workers; by achieving this goal, the project will see a reduction of 5 employees, allowing some of them to leave the more dangerous working conditions and thus ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the coal mine. Intelligent construction is on the rise. Drawing on the proven experience of intelligent production in the Dong Open-pit Mine, Pingshuo Group is making vigorous efforts to advance the intelligent development of its Antaibao and Anjialing open-pit mines, aiming to maximize the core advantages of its coal business. Putting the \"Two Mountains\" concept into practice to build ecological and green mining areas Standing on the viewing platform in the ecological reclamation area and looking into the distance, one can see vast stretches of green vegetation covering the landscape. Breathing in the fresh air, one feels as though they’re in a natural oxygen bar. From time to time, the cheerful chirping of birds can be heard, bringing great joy and relaxation. The vegetation coverage rate in the reclaimed area of the waste dump has reached over 95%, significantly improving the ecological condition that prior to mining the vegetation coverage rate in that area was less than 10%. From the early stages of mine development, Pingshuo Group has insisted on including environmental protection costs in its production expenses, thereby reinforcing the shared commitment to green development that emphasizes perseverance, sustained effort, and continuous work from one generation to the next. Over the past decade, the Pingshuo Group has thoroughly implemented the concept of **ecological civilization and vigorously promoted the Youyu Spirit, achieving remarkable results in ecological civilization construction. A 16,000-square-meter smart greenhouse, 300 solar greenhouses, the China Coal Pingshu Museum, and an artificial lake were built, creating an ecological restoration and reconstruction project featuring landscapes of mountains, waters, forests, fields, lakes, and grasses that serves as a model for replication; this resulted in high-standard demonstration areas for agricultural lands characterized by neatly arranged fields, connected roads, and forest networks. The Antaibao land reclamation area has been **designated as an outdoor observation base for land reclamation and a teaching and practice site for land reclamation, while the Pingshuo Group has been recognized by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council as a model example of central state-owned enterprises in implementing the concept of ’two mountains’.