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Another coal chemical project – presumably coal-to-natural gas. Keep an eye on it, everyone! http://www.sina.com.cn April 8, 2009, 11:02, Xinhua Net. Xinhua Net, Urumqi, April 8 (Reporter Liu Bing): After several months of exploration, the coal industry authorities in Xinjiang have discovered a large coal field with reserves of 3 billion tons in the Aidinghu Area of Xinjiang, which is the lowest point on Chinese territory. The reporter learned from the Xinjiang Coalfield Geology Bureau that in February this year, Team 156 of the bureau launched a coal resource exploration project in the area between Yila Lake and Aiding Lake in the Turpan region of Xinjiang. By the end of March, 17 boreholes had been drilled; a coal resource belt approximately 16 kilometers long from east to west, 10 kilometers wide from north to south, and 10 to 22 meters thick was identified. The initial estimate is that the coal reserves amount to over 3 billion tons. Based on the geological samples obtained so far, it is predicted that there may be additional coal resource zones in the area surrounding Lake Aydın. Once the exploration project for coal resources between Lake İla and Lake Aydın is completed, an estimated 27 billion tons of coal resources could be obtained, resulting in the identification of 1 to 2 major coal-producing areas. According to the Xinjiang Surveying and Mapping Bureau, Ayding Lake is located 30 kilometers southeast of Turpan City in Xinjiang. It is a saltwater lake; its surface area can reach up to about 100 square kilometers at its maximum. The area surrounding the lake is composed of desert and saline-alkali lands. According to the latest surveying data from 2008, the lowest point of the Ayding Lake depression is –154.31 meters, making it the lowest point on the Chinese mainland as well as the second-lowest point in the world.