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Author/Source: Qilu Evening News Date: 2009-3-20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The preliminary preparations for the exploitation of the Shanxian coalfield, Shandong Province’s only coalfield whose main coal type is coking coal, are now essentially complete, and the start of coal production is just around the corner. According to experts in geology and minerals, if things go well, the Shanxian coal field is expected to begin producing coal within two years. According to Zhang Zengqi, deputy director of the Shandong Provincial Institute of Geological Sciences, main coking coal is a type of coal used for coking; its primary applications are in the production of coking mixtures and in coal chemical industries. Due to its extreme scarcity, it is generally used as the main component in coking mixtures, and its market price is twice that of ordinary coal. The economic value of the Shanxian coal field is estimated to exceed 200 billion yuan. The Zhangji and Chenmanzhuang coal fields identified within this area are both large-scale deposits with reserves of over 100 million tons each. At the same time, the coal seams in the Shanxian coalfield are shallowly buried, with the shallowest ones being about 500 meters below the surface, which is more than 100 meters shallower than those in the Juye coalfield that is already in operation; this gives great advantages for the development and utilization of this coalfield.