China's coal production rose 7.1 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2007 to fuel its double digit economic growth, the nation's top economic planning agency announced on Monday.

The coal output increased by 72.55 million tons to 1.102 billion tons in the period, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

China, the world's second largest energy consumer after the United States, produced 201.3 million tons of coal in June, the NDRC said. The output represented 7 percent increase from the same month last year.

The rapid economic growth in China has expanded the demand for energy resources including oil and coal. Coal accounted for around two third of the primary energy consumption in the country.