China's Jan-Feb coal output drops 6.3% as coronavirus disrupts

(Reuters, 16 Mar 2020) The outbreak stopped miners going back to work after Lunar New Year holiday was extended to contain the epidemic

China's coal output in the first two months of 2020 fell 6.3% from the same period a year earlier as the coronavirus outbreak stopped miners from getting back to work after the Lunar New Year holiday was extended in a bid to contain the epidemic.

China churned out 489.03 million tonnes of coal over January and February, down from 513.67 million tonnes in the same period last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Monday.

Production of coke, widely used in steelmaking, fell 5.5% on the year in January-February to 70.64 million tonnes, statistic bureau data showed.

The statistics bureau didn't disclose numbers for January and February separately.

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Reuters, 16 Mar 2020: China's Jan-Feb coal output drops 6.3% as coronavirus disrupts