North China has the largest energy base, complete with huge reserves of mineral resources, including coal, oil and natural gas. The Loess Plateau offers plenty of coal, with al-most all counties in Shanxi producing coal. Shaanxi, too, has abundant coal reserves.
The Loess Plateau, along with the Jungger Coalfield and Dongsheng Coalfield in Inner Mon-golia, constitutes China's energy base for the 21st century.
Coal in Shanxi was formed mainly in the Paleozoic and early Mesozoic ages, that is, 100-200 million years ago. Shanxi's coal-producing areas, spreading over 60,000 sq km or one-third of the province's total area, are mainly concentrated in Datong, Ningwu, Xishan, Hexian, Qinshui and Hedong The province has all categories of coal, includ-ing those of very high quality, and accounts for one-third of total national production. Its identified reserve is more than 200 billion tons. Shanxi's coal is low in dust, sulfur and phosphor and high in heat value. Since it is found at easy-to-mine depths, it has helped develop the province into China's largest coal base.[1]
The Datong Coalmine, in northern Shanxi, produces mainly steam coal that burns to create very high tempera-tures, leaving little ash and dust. It is thus highly prized and enjoys a high reputation across the world. Shanxi's coal is not only transported to other parts of China, but also sold to foreign countries. The province also has China's largest an-thracite coal mine, the Yangquan Coal Mine.
In Shaanxi, Tongchuan is the main coal-producing area. In the past two decades or so, China has discovered large coal reserves in the Shenfu (Shenmu-Fugu) Coal Mine and natural gas in Yan'an Natural Gas Mine in northern Shaanxi. The coal reserve in Shenfu exceeds the combined total of all the identified reserves in Shaanxi. It can become a big world-class coal mine if it is combined with the one in Inner Mongolia to its the north. The development of the Shenfu Coal Mine will play a crucial role in meeting China's energy need.[2]
China has developed road and railway transport con-necting Shanxi extensively to transport coal to the outside world. Apart from the existing Beijing-Baotou and Taiyuan-Shijiazhuang railways, the past three decades have seen the construction of the Beijing-Yuanping and Taiyuan-Jiaozuo railways. The electric railway, connecting Datong with Qinhuangdao, has an annual transportation capacity of 100 million tons. The modern coal dock in Qinhuangdao, which serves the Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway, can transport raw coal to coastal provinces in South China, and export part of the consignment to other parts of the world. Moreover, a number of "pit power stations" built in coal-producing ar-eas can supply electricity to Beijing, Tianjin and other areas.
The North China Plain has abundant oil reserves, too. The Shengli Oilfield in the Yellow River Delta, Dongpu Oilfield on the border of Shandong and Hebei, and the Renqiu Oil-field in central Hebei are all key State-level oilfields.[3]
Note:
[1] Antalbao open-pit coal mine in Pingshuo, Shanxi Province.
[2] Shengli Oilfield in Shandong Province.
[3] The Forbidden City in Beijing has maintained its traditional features and cultural grandeur.