China Says Coal Imports Up 59 Percent
By Associated Press
June 24, 2005, 7:47 AM EDT
BEIJING -- China's coal imports soared 59 percent to nearly 10 million tons in the first five months of this year as demand for energy to drive a booming economy surged, the government announced Friday.
Coal consumption is expected to grow even faster from June to August as power plants struggle to meet electricity demand to drive air-conditioners during an unusually hot summer.
Coal imports in the month of May nearly doubled compared with the same month last year, rising by 98.5 percent to 2.4 million tons, according to date released by the Customs General Administration.
