The majority of the coal products produced and sold by the Group were thermal coal. In 2024, the Group resolutely carried out the mission of securing energy supply, optimised the layout of the production system, carefully organised production, continuously improved production efficiency, invested more in clean production technology and equipment, stabilised the quality of thermal coal, and completed the task of securing coal supply with high quality. The annual output of commercial coal was 327.1 million tonnes, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.8%.
Positive progress was made in the continuation of coal resources, the processing of licenses and license application and production capacity increase.The application level of achievements of intelligent and digital technologies for coal mines has been further promoted. By the end of 2024, the Group had built 36 intelligent underground coal mining working faces, 63 intelligent tunneling working faces and 19 intelligent coal preparation plants, and had equipped 369 sets of unmanned production equipment in open-cut coal mines. Also, the Group had developed and applied an aggregate of over 300 coal mining robots in five categories, namely tunneling, mining, transportation, safety control and rescue.
The coal sold by the Group is primarily produced from its self-owned coal mines. In order to fulfil the needs of customers and adequately make use of railway transportation, the Group also purchases the coal from third parties in the surrounding area of the self-owned mines and along railway lines for blending into various types and grades of coal products, which are then centrally sold to external customers. In 2024, the Group coordinated self-produced and purchased coal resources, increased the acquisition of purchased coal resources to ensure stable operation of the integration; promoted the customised production of coal to enhance the alignment level between coal products and market demand; optimised pricing strategies, enriched marketing methods, improved the management of major customers, and continuously improved the ability to cope with market fluctuations. During the year, the coal sales volume of the Group reached 459.3 million tonnes (2023: 450.0 million tonnes), representing a year-on-year increase of 2.1%.