Datong Coal's mines are located primarily in Shanxi and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Its coal production and sales this decade topped 100 million tons for four consecutive years, and hit 122 million tons in 2008.

Now, for the 12th Five-Year Plan, environmental protection and clean energy are on the company's mind, Wu said.

Other things covered by Datong Coal's 5-year plan are polycrystalline silicon and batteries, he added.

Another key industrial project is a methanol project at the Datong Guangfa Chemical Industry Co, designed for an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons.

The first phase calls for an annual output of 600,000 tons. Upon completion, the project will be able to produce 600,000 tons of fine methanol annually, and 3,700 tons of sulfur by-product.

To consolidate its command of the coal industry, Datong Coal plans to open six shafts with an annual output of 10 million tons. The mine at Tashan, designed to produce 15 million tons annually, went into operation at the end of 2008.

In the area of green development, Tashan is taking the lead, with its Tashan Circular Economy Park, and its work toward clean coal production: the washed coal is transported by a special railway; residual coal pieces are used to produce methanol; coal rubble is separated and transported to a factory to make bricks, and low-value coal is used by the power plant to generate electricity.

At the same time, the excess heat from the power plant is used to heat residences in the area. The fly ash discharged by the pit-mouth power plant is used as raw material for the cement plant; and the kaolinic shale produced by the excavation of coal is raw material for kaolin.