BEIJING - China will work to control coal consumption this year in the face of strained coal supplies, the country's energy chief said Saturday.

"Putting a cap on total coal consumption will help to hasten industrial restructuring and promote the transformation of China's economic growth model," Liu Tienan, head of the National Energy Administration, said at a national energy conference.

China aims to cap its total energy consumption at 4 billion metric tonnes of coal equivalent by 2015, an annual increase of 4.24 percent.

Liu urged efforts to ensure a stable coal market, increase efficiency, raise the sector's valued-added output, strengthen coal mine safety, improve miners' livelihoods and deepen international cooperation in the sector.

The country's coal output rose 8.7 percent year-on-year to reach 3.52 billion metric tonnes in 2011, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Coal is the primary source for about 80 percent of China's generated power. The country has established a goal of deriving 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.